Introducing...Dorry Smallman

Blue Monkey Network is pleased to welcome artist Dorry Smallman who will be introducing us to her practice as an artist and bringing along examples of her work. She will also talk about the Sussex Book Art Collective, which she founded in 2012.

After a career in Education, Dorry re-inhabited her alter ego and attended ual/Central St Martins, graduating with an Honours Degree in Fine Art. All her artwork has a sculptural sensibility, and her practice encompasses the many forms of making work, from collage and photography, to drawing and stitching. More recently, she has often used the form of the book to explore and trace how they can be used as a way to access and evidence life experiences in an interesting way.

Dorry is fascinated with the way identities are formed, and she questions the structure of the self by focusing on the ways that behaviours and conversations reflect our place in society, both as individuals and in communities. She examines what stories we have about ourselves, the scripts we live by, and how transformative events have a bearing on new stories we create over time, to characterise our changing autobiographies.
www.studiodeplume.com
http://bookartsinsussex.blogspot.co.uk
www.facebook.com/sussexbookartscollective

We will also be joined by artist Vanessa Marr who works with the Sussex Book Arts Collective to run book-arts workshops. Vanessa is an artist, graphic designer and lecturer based in East Sussex. Her practice explores narrative and sequence, in particular fairy tales, the language of objects and notions of femininity, which she explores through book-making, embroidery and poetry. Supported by a background in graphic design and an MA in Sequential Design and Illustration, her work is underpinned by visual design-theory and process and embraces an intuitive and practical approach, facilitating both self-authorship and collaborative investigation.

Vanessa will bring along examples of her book works and invites other artists to bring along their own work to display for us all to enjoy during the evening.

6-8pm. Refreshments will be available or please feel free to bring a bottle. FREE to Blue Monkey Network members and members of the Sussex Book Arts Collective
£5.00 others.

Vanessa will be running a book-arts workshop for Blue Monkey Network on the Saturday following Dorry's talk, Saturday 24th September, 10.00am to 1.00pm at Towner. Vanessa's workshop is open to all artists but booking is essential. Cost is £5 for Blue Monkey members, £10 for others. e-mail bluemonkeynet@btinternet.com to book your place. https://marrvanessa.wordpress.com/

For more information visit http://www.townereastbourne.org.uk/events/artist-network/