Freelands Foundation

Naming the Thing records the experiences and practices of six artists as they undertook Freelands Studio Fellowships in 2023: David Auborn, Michael Clarence, Ciarraí MacCormac, Vivian Ross-Smith, Mikey Thomas, Esther Thorniley-Walker.

Each artist was based at a partner university across the UK. This publication records their distinctive studio practices through conversational texts and studio documentation photography captured during the year-long Fellowship.

In a series of conversations, each Fellow discusses their experiences over the year with someone they have connected with during that time – a mentor, a student, a fellow resident or researcher. Subjects range from teaching methods, to relocating a studio practice, to the impact of working in close proximity to students; and how these elements have created major shifts within their artistic practices.They capture ongoing discussions and relationships that have formed throughout the Fellowship, and attempt to map the extensive networks of people and ideas generated by the programme.

Alongside the text are images of artists and their studios. The studio is physical representation of ideas being processed: where materials are tested and where reference material gathers. Both conversations and images reveal the often-unseen support structures that a studio practice relies on, as well the processes that manifest and develop in the space.

The publication is introduced by a conversation between Henry Ward (Director, Freelands Foundation) and Natasha Cox (Artist Development Curator, Freelands Foundation), who consider the role of the Fellowship and discuss the findings that emerge as the 2023 programme comes to an end.