wnrk has taken place met the last twn mnnthx.‘
l-nr thnxe whn are ttnlamiliar with her wnrlt. Barclay‘x sculptural installatinnx are dit‘t'icult tn deline. 'l'he tnan immediate and striking eletnent nt' her \Htt'lx. and the nne mnxt cnmmented nn. ix her l'axcinatinn with and maxtery nl materials. She luxltinttx hnth hand-made atid industrially prnduced \Htl'le in a diyerxe array nl' Inaterialx. \arinuxly intnrmed by her preticcupatinnx. research interests and where she happens In he wnrking. While in .-\uxtralia. Barclay began using anitnal prnductx such as Iur atid leather. .\lnre recently in Venice. xhe haxed a central wnrk in linen nn the pattern til the exixting. ladcd \lllx wall-cmet‘ing iii the l’ala//n (iiuxtinian l.nlin. the \enuc Inr /.ennmap. Vixitnrx In Same Ix’t't/tlix/i \lin'A Dune (ll .VI‘e/II. a xnln xltnw held at dngget'lixhct‘ itt lidinhttt‘gh last year. will rememher a startlingly heautil'ul arrangement nt~ nhiectx in wnnd. pnny skin. terracntta and rnpe.
Sn what can we e\pcct thix time'.’ linr the l)('.-\. Barclay will wnrk with Incally prndttced jute. alnng with aluminium. leather. willnw reeds and terracntta. :\nnthet' l'eature nl the t'nrthcnming l)(‘.'\ xhnw (and a hit at the dnggertixher xlltm‘l will he the nppnrtunity tn see a medium rarely exhihited hy Barclay drawing. ‘I always tllttle‘ drawings hut dnn't nt'ten xhnw them.‘ she says. "lhey can he quite aw kward alnngxide the sculptural wnrkx. httt l w ill xhnw xnme at l)(‘.'\.‘
The c\acI t‘nrni til the e\hihitinn. hnw e\ er. is yet In he decided and [he lttxlttllttlintt Pl'tlL‘L‘SS the“. “ill he central In the \Hll'l'x. Sn hnw dnex Barclay plan nn dealing with the expansiye xpace til the I)('.'\ galleriex'.’ ‘l ha\e a prnper mndel nl l)('.-\ In wnrk with. which giyex a sense til" the scale and el'l'ect nl' nhiects within the space.‘ xhe xayx. ‘l)uring the installatinn til the exhihitinn. the xtructttrex I'll make will he influenced by
physical characteristics (it the galleriex. hy the nature til the [I
light. ti‘anxitinn hetween dillcrent areas. nr the heights nl ceilings. 'l‘he wnt'k w ill take l'nrm in xittt in quite an inttiitn e mannerf
It the e\hihitinn at
dnggerlixher ix anything In gn hy.
Barclay‘x wnrk at |)(':\ will
cnmhine a prnl‘nundly tactile
rexpnnxe In materials with an acttte aw arenexx nl the axxnciatinnx particular Inaterialx.
xttch ax leather and rnpe. can
imnke. liat‘licr “Ut'lx. such ax tlte leather hna that was attached with leather xtripx lrntn ceiling In l'lnnr in (ilasgnw's ()ld l‘rttitmarket (I‘nr (iir/s High in twm highlighted the way 'lnaded' materials cnuld he interpreted in dillcrent ways by the New er. ax Barclay recalled in the catalngue l'nr liar/y ()m' liar/zine. held at the \Vhitechapel Art Gallery last year: "l‘he wnrk l tnade quite a while agn caused penple tn talk ahnut letixhixm and l xhied away l‘rnm it I was starting In l'eel sell.— cntixcinux ahnut heing the nne whn made all this sexually pen L‘I'xe \\ nt‘lx.‘
This xelt'-cnnxcinuxnexx. an awarenexx that there is an ineyitahle urge l'nr penple In lind meaning in ahstract l‘nrms. hax hecnme an increasing interext I'nr Barclay. She is reluctant In nt‘t‘er easy answers In questinnx nn what her wnrk ix ahnut. ‘I intentionally lllille‘ the wnrk amhigunux in nrdet' that xnmenne lnnlsing at nne nt my xculpturex w ill create their nwn interpretatinn nt' the references which are apparent.‘ she says. “The references are drawn t'rntn particular interests and research. hut it is nnt impnrtant I‘nr the \ iew er tn knnw exactly what these are in nrder tn e\perience the wnrk. l wnrk with a numher nt‘ materials with which I haye hecnme t'atniliar nyer the years and am always adding In these depending on what e\terna| interests are int'nrming my wnrk. l atn interested in
techniques nt Pl'tKlllCllUll as much as the phy xieal prnpenies (if the Inaterialx. lately. I haye t'ncused my attention nn the rule of
craft within different aspech nt' nur |i\ ex. It seems tn always be present in xnme t'nrm in my \\0l'l\. I'm interested in the ways in which hand-made nhjectx int‘nrm identity. lifestyle and sn nn.‘ Sn w hat’x ne\t nn the agenda for Barelay‘.’ ‘\\'ell. l'm cnming In the end nt' a research I‘ellnwxhip at the Glasgnw Schnnl nI .-\l'l. and l xee the e\hihitinn at l)('.-\ as a
culminatinn nl wnrk prnduced during this perind. Next I’ll be wnrking nn a prnject t'nr Paisley Museum which will im'nlve a perind of research with access In their cnllectinn.‘
Sn it' ynu can't make it In see Zennmap at the Venice Biennale by 2 Nnyemher. with the waters of the Grand Canal lapping gently against the t‘nundatinns (if the Palazzn. the ghnst nt' Byrnn swimming past and the faint. lingering arnma nt‘ prnseccn hanging in the shreds of the silk wall-cnverings in Barclay"s installation. ynu can scrape tngether the bus fare fnr a trip tn Dundee. I hear DCA's Jute Cafe dnes a wnnderful carhnnara.
Claire Barclay: Ideal Pursuits opens at DCA, Dundee, Sat 23 Aug-Sun 12 Oct.
Main picture: Low Scenic, 2003, part of Zenomap, Venice Biennale. Top: work from Homemaking, 2000; middle: Some Reddish Work Done at Night; above: two untitled pieces, 2002
2‘ Ange“. Sept 2003 THE LIST 9