IMAGESREFLECTIONS ON CHATSWORTH HOUSE ALICIA PAZ
LABYRINTH OF
In the Summer of 2022, whilst artist in residence at S1 Artspace in Sheffield, I had the opportunity to research the historic collections of Chatsworth House, in nearby Derbyshire. In consultation with their expert curatorial team, I looked at extraordinary paintings, sculptures, textiles, decorative arts, archival material as well as the Chatsworth House Theatre. This research inspired a new body of work in photography, using the camera-less technique of photograms. As I walked through the grand house, I instinctively took photographs with my phone, literally hundreds of them. I selected the most interesting ones among these and turned them into photocopies on acetate, cutting them, collaging them, and combining these with opaque and semi-opaque objects such as necklaces and scarves, to create my compositions.
Continuing to develop this project in partnership with my residency at CFPR, I decided to explore other material translations of these photographic images, by scanning them in high resolution and printing them onto fabrics, and then displaying these on a folding-screen structure composed of multiple sections. Viewers would be able to walk along and around the screen, seeing different images from different angles, on either side. My aim was to create a labyrinth of interrelated pictures, referencing both the maze in the Chatsworth Garden and the architectural layout of Park Hill Estate in Sheffield, where S1 Artspace is located. I wanted to create a rich dialogue between painting, photography, print and sculpture.
I was also interested in making a threedimensional edition in ceramic or glass, reflecting on costume and attire. Approaching my project almost as the creation of a theatrical set, I wanted to use contemporary materials that could reference a complex history, incorporating various forms of ornamentation, and that could present versatile possibilities in terms of inhabiting a space. I gave particular attention, both in my research and in my production process, to the biographies of certain female figures in the history of Chatsworth, women whose lives I found exemplary and compelling. Botanical elements feature strongly in this new body of work as well, highlighting the importance of the land, and the relationship to nature.
What new printmaking or other creative processes did you practice whilst at CFPR?
With the help and guidance of CFPR master printer Laura Clarke-Oaten, I explored different printing methods such as photogravure and silk-screen. The first of these was completely new to me, and I was immediately drawn to how faithful it was to the subtle intricacies of a photograph, and yet looking more ‘embodied’, like a print. I found the coated polymer plates used for printing beautiful to look at too, with their strange shades of opalescent green.
Early in the residency, I worked with Rebecca Hill at the Digital Print Bureau to experiment with digital printing. This method allowed me to print at a larger scale on a range of natural fabrics; I loved becoming acquainted with many versions of silk, that noble material. Habotai, bamboo, silk tweed and crêpe de chine, all became familiar names. In addition, I was able to explore printing onto synthetic materials, such as polyester satins, chiffon, organza, by using a dye sublimation process, resulting in a variety of surfaces and effects. As a painter, I had never before worked with printed textiles, and so I had much to learn.
It has been fascinating to experience, also for the first time, glass casting, developing sculptures from 3D-scanned objects. I found the properties of glass absolutely fascinating, how it can melt and flow, and like molten lava, eventually harden into a shape. It was equally mesmerizing to see how glass can act as a marbled vehicle for colour, and as a passage, a gateway for light. Having said that, I also found it very challenging to work with; it is often terribly fragile, even dangerous. This initiation into the craft has opened my eyes, allowing me to better appreciate and admire what is involved in skilled glass work.
How did your ideas evolve as the residency progressed?
It has been interesting for me to me to gradually see how the different printed fabrics look next to each other, as a sequence of images, (leading me to place dense elements next to quieter, calmer ones) and also to observe how they appear when they are layered, as some fabrics are opaque and some are translucent. The overlapping of images, allowing to see one through the filter of another, makes me think of how art evolves through the ages, how there are so many layers of history and human experience behind every art object.
What have you learned whilst in residence at CFPR?
Much of the work I made at CFPR is somewhere between the single, unique art object and the multiple, as I used image repetition and variation in different ways. The same woman’s portrait for example, can be seen in my project in a myriad of ways, printed on different fabrics, using different printing methods, and/or printed at a different scale. This way of working is very new to me. Also, producing a range of interrelated images to create a single whole, displayed as an installation, leads me to consider my project as a kind of meta-artwork. I am reminded of how, on a far grander scale of course, the collections at Chatsworth also impact the viewer as an orchestrated, complex ensemble, where everything is interconnected.
As a painter accustomed to working in isolation, it has been fascinating to observe at CFPR how printmakers
work. I have seen how printmaking, in its many forms, is an inherently collaborative field, one in which the creative process is often shared between different individuals, working together through dialogue and the alternating application of particular skills. I also learned that sometimes misunderstandings between collaborators can result in wonderful positive surprises! It has been very stimulating to develop my work surrounded by other practitioners working on their own projects within an open plan space. Everyone continually learns through observation, exchange and discussion.
What can
about the concept and ideas behind the final edition?
I have developed three final editions. The first one comprises an ensemble of 4 photogravures on Habotai silk inspired by different elements of Chatsworth history. One is based on a portrait painted by John Medina of Christian Bruce, who is one of several notable and strong female figures in the Cavendish family. I was touched by how she, as a young widow, fiercely defended her children’s interests. The second photogravure is based on a sculpture of operatic soprano Henriette Sontag by Ludwig Wichmann. I love
her features, particularly her mouth, the instrument of her vocal art. The other two photogravures feature plant forms, a fern and a few wild weeds, that I photographed whilst walking in the vast Chatsworth grounds. All four photogravure images were initially mediated and recomposed by my photogram process.
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The second edition consists of a 3D-printed shoe adorned with crystal shapes, covered in 22 karat gold leaf. It was made from the 3D scan of a velvet slipper, part of a pair I found in a Sheffield charity shop last Summer. Georgiana Cavendish, another remarkable woman in the history of Chatsworth, was a keen collector of crystals, and I like referencing this interest of hers, combining it (in an incongruous, surreal way) with the idea of the humble slipper as a symbol of comfort and sedentary repose. Crystals form in nature over time, and I find their shapes very decorative. The gold leaf gives the sculpture a reflective luminosity.
The third edition I made is an ensemble of varied rococo shapes made into rubber stamps that one can use freely to make ornamental patterns. The muted grey tone of the laser-engraved rubber makes me think of lead, which connects to mineral resources found in the Derbyshire land. The rococo shapes echo natural forms such as leaves and seashells in a playful, stylized manner.
Did you face any challenges whilst creating the edition, and if so, how did you overcome them?
One of the challenges I encountered with the photogravure on silk edition is the question of what to do with the fabric edges. As a painter working on canvas, I never had to think about that before... Regarding the silk fabric, I wanted the image to remain visually uncluttered, and for the silk to flow unencumbered by a sewn hem. After experimenting with different approaches, the solution Carinna Parraman proposed was to try laser-cutting the edges of the silk, successfully creating a discreet but sealed firm edge.
Another challenge I discovered was that working with glass casting was too slow and laborious for the amount of time I had at my disposal, particularly given my lack of experience with this material. This is what led me to opt for
a 3D-printed sculpture edition. I did manage to make one glass sculpture that I was pleased with, again using the velvet slipper cast in combination with crystal shapes. In this case, the glass material carries yet another reference, that of Cinderella’s delicate slipper left behind. This brings to my mind aspirational dreams of class or professional mobility, that many young women in service at Chatsworth in years past perhaps would have kept hidden away, a hopeful secret held in their heart of hearts.
Alicia Paz is a painter and sculptor based in London who studied MA Painting at Royal College of Art in 2008 and Postgraduate Diploma at Goldsmiths College, London in 2000. Born and raised in Mexico, before living in the US, France and now the UK, Alicia’s work is informed by her personal experience and offers a reflection on transcultural representation, particularly that of women.
Through her paintings and sculptures, Alicia explores cultural hybrids, representations of family, and the complexities of kinship and lineage in a globalised world. Her work often incorporates elements from applied and decorative arts as a tool for interweaving narratives and exploring displacement and identity. Illusion and materiality, as well as ornamentation, feature strongly in her work.
