About "News "
07.07.24
Delighted to announce the completion of my most
recent project: 'Close Encounters'. The project was funded by Aberdeen City Council and is part of a pilot
for a wider Heritage and Place project through a grant awarded by Historic
Environment Scotland. You can learn more about Historic Environment Scotland’s
Heritage and Place Programme here. The final outputs of the research phase are
an exhibition, opening at Aberdeen Arts Centre, late July 2024, alongside an
online interactive platform and digital map developed by artist and
film maker Callum Kellie.
Link: https://www.close-encounters.co.uk/
06.07.24
Wonderful article in the Scotsman celebrating Peacock &The Worm and the wonderful work they do in the North East. Always nice to see my images in print.
30.03.23
The final showing of the Liminal Zone work will be at a knowledge
exchange event and exhibition at the Creative Academy, Inverness on Tuesday 30
May 2023 from 9.30-3pm. The aim of the day will be to explore sea-related
collaborations between artists and others and inspire further work.
20.02.22
Research
is underway in preparation for production of a new music video for Dr. John
Flaxman. This collaboration involves working with multiple ‘film students’,
alongside Dr. John Flaxman and celebrated dancer and artist Kate E. Deeming.
Kate is an exceptional talent.......a dance activist and community organiser
from Philadelphia, PA, USA based in Pollokshields, Glasgow.
26.01.22
After
the success of The Liminal Zone exhibition in Elgin's Moray School of Art,
which runs until 27.01.22, I am delighted to see the exhibition travel to
Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum and Arts Centre in Lochmaddy, Uist. The exhibition
shall open on 05th Feb. 2022 and shall run for one month.
Artists: Dr
Mandy Haggith, Steve Smith, Stacey Toner, Dr Tawnya Selene Renelle, Rosemary
Newman, Alex Kershaw, Dr Liam Bell, Dr Antony Schrag, Rosie Blake.
20.10.21
Having
completed a collaborative project with Aberdeen Art Gallery and artist Grace
Ndiritu as part of the British Art Show 9, work is back underway for exhibition
in December as part of the Liminal Zone collective. The Liminal Zone Project
responds to an investigation into how creative arts teachers achieve a
synergy between their teaching and creative practice and how employers can
empower them to do so. It does this by exploring the seashore as a metaphor for
the boundary between teaching and creative practice. The study helps to
understand how creative arts staff in universities and colleges balance their
teaching responsibilities with their creative practice, and how teaching and
art can nurture and complement one another.
Artists: Dr
Mandy Haggith, Steve Smith, Stacey Toner, Dr Tawnya Selene Renelle, Rosemary
Newman, Alex Kershaw, Dr Liam Bell, Dr Antony Schrag, Rosie Blake.
09.10.21
I
am delighted to be working alongside Grace Ndiritu for Aberdeen Art Gallery as
part of British Art Show 9. Grace Ndiritu’s art and activism is inspired by
alternative communities, spirituality and lifestyles. In 2017 she initiated her
live art project, The Ark, in the migrant suburbs of Paris, France. This ‘model
for living off-grid in an urban setting’ brought together scientists, artists,
gardeners, economists and spiritual practitioners. Other ongoing projects
involving diverse groups of people in performance, meditation or protest
include Healing the Museum, which seeks to re-activate the ‘sacredness’ of art
spaces. Protest, an important facet of Ndiritu’s practice, plays a part in
Plant Theatre for Plant People, her project for British Art Show 9.
I
shall be documenting and taking portraits for Plant Theatre for Plant People, a
new work for British Art Show 9. Ndiritu has been leading a series of workshops
at Aberdeen Art Gallery with participants exploring the natural world through
meditation, Shamanistic practices and spirituality. The workshops culminate in
a parade/protest through the streets of Aberdeen, marking an end to British art
show 9 in the city.
01.10.21
Great
to be involved creatively with Arts Agency: ‘Look Again’: (a
project based at Gray’s School of Art, Robert Gordon University, with support
from Creative Scotland and Aberdeen City Council).
As
part of Creative Scotland’s Create Networks programme, Look Again
funded myself and nine other groups of artists and creatives to deliver
networking events this summer. From a drawing project in Shetland to a group
supporting young neuro-diverse musicians, a writers group in Aberdeen, to
printmakers skills sharing in Orkney. I presented a still life workshop for the
makers of Deemouth Artist Studios helping us understand how creative support
structures can flourish despite challenging times.
16.06.21
Tonight
shall premier my first short film, 'Security Rights and Shelter'
The
A Listing of 8 modernist tower blocks in Aberdeen in 2021 has been a cause both
of celebration and controversy. Commissioned for the Architecture Fringe
Festival 2021, this short film shall take a closer look at the lived experience
of residents, past and present, and consider the ‘unlearning’ that this
uncovered.
04.02.21
Delighted
to have signed the lease on a new working environment / studio. As part of the ever-expanding
‘Deemouth Artist Studios’, Steve Smith Studio goes live on the 4th Feb and
shall provide a sanctuary for all my creative needs.
01.03.20
Covid
Diaries
I
started using photography to realize this Covid Pandemic. It shall be tough for
so many and I feel truly privileged to have creative endeavour to turn to for
the relief of stress, anxiety and frustration at this time. I shall say little
more for now other than, Stay Safe and look after those around you.