Peripheral
eries
agazine
Special Edition
Contemporary Art
Peripheral ARTeries meets
Aby Mackie Lives and works in Barcelona, Spain Born in 1977 in Leicester, U.K. Aby Mackie earned her first class BA in textile design at Nottingham Trent University, followed by a Masters of Arts in fine art, photography and methodology. It is from this place of material and technical diversity that her work has evolved over the years. Aby is a dedicated diarist who has written every day for the last 27 years. Her work is about a life lived, often self portraits that make direct and indirect reference to her diaries and subsequent moments, specific events and days gone by. Aby Mackie's experience with art started at a young age; inspired by her clock-maker fathers' technical drawings and crafting of clock movements. This led Aby to study various arts and crafts practices; from jewellery making to pottery, metal sculpture to B&W photography. Her passion for vintage textiles can also be accredited to her antique collecting fathers' influence as well as her mothers passion for ancient history and stuffed snakes. The influence of vintage textiles is evident throughout her work. Aby moved to Barcelona on a whim in the summer of 2004. She has been running a successful design business for almost ten years, that has continued to evolve into the company that it is today. She now has a shop, 'Aby Mackie ShowRoom' in the Poblenou district; where she sells her converted designs, collections of vintage clothing and exhibits her latest art works.
An interview by Josh Ryder, curator and Melissa C. Hilborn, curator
(my father is a clock maker and my mother studied ancient history) whilst growing up on a council estate in Leicester. My childhood home from the outside was a council house like any other, yet inside it was a magical place filled with grandfather clocks, antiques and curios, music and books.
peripheral.arteries@europe.com
Hello Aby and welcome to Peripheral ARTeries: we would start this interview with a couple of questions about your multifaceted background. You have a solid background and after having earned your first class BA in Textile Design from the Nottingham Trent University, you nurtured your education with a Masters of Arts in Fine Art, Photography and Methodology. How did these experiences influence the way you currently conceive your works? In particular, how does the relationship between your cultural substratum dued to your English roots and your current life in Barcelona?
Barcelona, for me, is a place like the inside of my childhood home, magical. It’s steeped in history, architecturally rich and abundant in creativity. From the very first time I ever visited Barcelona it felt like it was home. Whilst I studied a design (textiles) degree I always made artworks as my final pieces throughout my course, finding the challenge of making art whilst fulfilling a design-led brief, exciting. This led to a masters, researching into comparative studies between design and art methodologies. The influence of My BA in
My English roots are very firmly planted in the duality of growing up with creative parents
SPECIAL ISSUE
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