Seren Metcalfe
Seren Metcalfe is a Multi-Disciplinary Artist and Writer. She is currently based in London but born and bred in Yorkshire (1997).
Her research covers themes of Time, Labour, Energy, Routine and Structure. She is interested in the ways the body navigates through spaces and finds herself obsessively forming parallels between Cityscape and Landscape or the Natural vs the Mechanical. Her work also explores Fame, Television, Consumerism and Class and she interconnects these themes with personal memories, childhood narratives and anecdotes creating her own language to speak about personal experience and understanding of current existence.
Seren has just graduated from her BA at the Slade School of Fine Art and has previously shown work at The Royal Standard Liverpool, Studio 24 Leeds, and The Tate Modern London. She is the current Artist in Residence of UCL EAST alongside artist Jacob Blackaller.
Seren currently runs Free, movement and sound workshops under the name Contact points with Artist Eleni Zachariou And is currently writing scripts for television and theatre with the Artist and Writer Billy Parker. She is the Founder of the Working Class Creatives Database.
For collaborations, commissions, queries, sales or to open a discussion email seren_metcalfe@hotmail.co.uk
Instagram: @Werealljusttryingtogetby
HALF TRUTHS
,Seren Metcalfe
, 2020, Publication.HALF TRUTHS is a Publication housing a collection of daily passings - a mixture of daily strolls and daily scrolls gathered into an autobiographical archive of semi-truths. It attempts to be research; to explain things, and act as a navigation system for my thought processes as well as being a directory of current artworks. To view the book online visit www.serenmetcalfe.co.uk/halftruths. For publishing and sales inquiries or to sign up for the books release email Seren_metcalfe@hotmail.co.uk
Phase 1
,Seren Metcalfe
, 2020, video installation, live performance, acrylic paintings, Dmx programming, Arduino.The video published is a smaller scale mock-up version of Phase 1. For a full version and to find out more about Phase 1 visit www.serenmetcalfe.co.uk/phase1 Phase 1 would have been exhibited at the Slade Degree show 2020. Due to the Covid19 the exhibition was cancelled and the work is still in limbo. If you are reading this and would like to facilitate this performance and installation please email seren_metcalfe@hotmail.co.uk.
Commuter Costume
,Seren Metcalfe
, 2019, engraved metal spider with tailored suit trousers. Rough measurements are 200 x 100cm.For buying enquiries email seren_metcalfe@hotmail.co.uk
CORONATION STREET OF CONTEMPORARY DANCE
,Seren Metcalfe
, 2019, This video acts as a concept for a live choreographed performance with a projection.The Video is a Montage of moments from the first episode of Coronation Street to Current episodes. The Montage depicts a timeline of working class northern history from the 1960's till our current time through the eye of a TV screen. These moments will be turned into a chain of movements to create choreography for two dancers to perform live next to the video. The depiction of time within soaps is of interest to me and how we can witness these highs and lows of emotions of an entire street within a 30 minute time frame summing up some kind of human experience throughout time. The television screen acts as a window into those moments of time where fictional narratives are formed from real life experiences. Contact me at seren_metcalfe@hotmail.co.uk if you are someone who would like to fund or facilitate this performance.
Television Studio
,Seren Metcalfe
, 2020, Performed at The Bloomsbury Theatre, London.Actor: Tarik Badwan Drummer: Stanley Welch.
Television Studio looks at themes of labour and time within television. On the stage everything is set out in stations much like a television studio. I imagine the moment on a talk show when the camera moves from the chat show host to the next station where the band will play or on a game show where each obstacle is set out at a different platform of the circle but the camera films one station at a time so the audience views everything on a timeline. This layout also represents a clock face. There will be three performers and each will has their place in time. At 12 o’ clock we have the drummer. At 3 o’ clock (stage left) we have the dancer. At 6 o’clock we have the audience (off stage) and 9 o’clock (stage right) we have the actor - the cold caller. Visit www.serenmetcalfe.co.uk for the video
Spider Diagram
,Seren Metcalfe
, 2019, 10 screen installation and performance.Performers: Stanley Welch, Annie Metzger, Fay Rushton Ryan
The Go Fuck Yourself Choir
,Seren Metcalfe
, 2019, Lit up by smartphone torches, a choir of voices repeat the words 'Go Fuck Yourself'.Starring: Charlotte Hurst, Emily Webb, Annie Metzger, Fay Rushton Ryan, Pol Wah Tse, Eun Joo Bae and Enzo Randolfi
WERE ALL JUST TRYING TO GET BY
,Seren Metcalfe
, 2017 - current, documented performance.Since 2017 I have been attempting to appear in television audiences with T-shirts spelling out the phrase: 'WERE ALL JUST TRYING TO GET BY'.
WERE ALL JUST TRYING TO GET BY AGAIN
,Seren Metcalfe
, 2017 - c.2019, acrylic on canvas, 150 x 130cm.For enquiries on buying this piece email seren_metcalfe@hotmail.co.uk
Consumerist Centipede
,Seren Metcalfe
, 2017, dried centipede with hand-painted 3D printed boots.Applause
,Seren Metcalfe, in collaboration with Ella Turner-Bridger and Fay Rushton-Ryan
, 2019, video.I walk home at night. I can’t help but peak into the windows of the houses I pass. Their televisions and bedroom lights illuminate the street. I feel drawn to watch. Indulging on micro- moments of strangers and neighbours lives. I go home and watch the flats opposite. I watch the random codes of lights turning off and on. I watch hands raise up as goals are scored, I watch candles from birthday cakes being blown, fights and moments of joy. They watch me too. The window acts as a television screen - capturing these moments.
Rush Hour
,Seren Metcalfe
, 2017, documentation of performance. In collaboration with dancers: Chloe Walker, Beckie Callow and Sophie Alstead.In the Factories the women would tap their steel toe boots to the sound of the machinery transferring rhythm from machine to body and body to machine. The dancers tap through the space of The Crypt Gallery. The corridors mimic the underground tube tunnels focusing on the systematic, structured movements of the city. The dancers become more and more erratic, repeating routines and movements until they reach their final destination. A limited edition of tap trainers were created alongside this performance. "Trainers for the commute and smart shoes for the office. The heal and toe taps add rhythm to the commuters walk. They're all wearing them moving through the city to their own footsteps." To enquire about buying these email seren_metcalfe@hotmail.co.uk
Curriculum Vitae
Education
BA Hons Fine Art
Slade School of Fine Art
2016 - 2020
Foundation Diploma
Leeds College of Art
2015 - 2016
York College
2013 - 2015
Prizes/ Scholarships/ Residencies
UCL EAST Artist in Residency
2019 - 2020
Herbert Seaborn Memorial Scholarship Prize
2019
No Technology Residency hosted by Lucy Gray, Taynuilt, Scotland
June 2018
Selected Exhibitions/Performances
Words To Be Looked At, Wolfson College Oxford, 2020
Platform 1, Bloomsbury theatre, February 2020
Endless House share, Working Class Artists Collective, Peckham Safe House, November, 2019
The Morning After the Year Before, Studio 24, Leeds, December 2017 Alls Well, The Crypt
Gallery, Euston, November 2017
Technology vs Ethics, The Concept gallery, Lewisham, September 2017 Untitled, Livesey
Exchange, Peckham, August 2017
After the Watershed, The Old Police Station, Peckham, April 2017
Slade Wotever, The Royal Vauxhall Tavern, London, March 2017
LIL exhibition, Peckham Safe House, March 2017
SHRUG, Stoke Newington Gallery, January 2017
#Cam4Art, Webcam Performance, London, December 2016
Artists Social, Dissenters Gallery, London, December 2016
New Tate Modern Opening, Turbine Hall, London, June 2016
Currents Festival, The Brunswick, Leeds, June 2016
Private view, The Royal Standard, Liverpool, May 2016
PROD, Performance, La Boheme, Leeds, April 2016
Influenza, Blip Blip Blip, Leeds, April 2016
The Crawl, Performance, Trafalgar Square, London, February 2016
The Crawl, Performance, Millennium Square, Leeds, February 2016
Goldsmiths in the North, According to Mcgee, York, January 2015
Curatorial projects/ Workshops/ Screenings/ Publications
Sound Collective - Contact Points, Sound Workshop with Eleni Zachariou, Peak Gallery, London, 2020
Sound Collective - Contact Points, Sound Workshop with Eleni Zachariou, Tate Modern, London, 2020
Slime Intentions - Contact Points, Performance Workshop with Eleni Zachariou, Chisenhale Studios, 2019
Contact Points, Performance Workshop with Eleni Zachariou, Mallords, London 2019
HERM, West Yorkshire Queer Stories, 2018
Exquisite Corpse, 2018
Price List
1
HALF TRUTHS
2020
Publication
First run, Limited Edition Hand bound. Edition of 12 with 3 Artist copies
£32
2
PHASE 1
2020
Video, Performance, Acrylic paintings, dmx and Arduino programming
Please email artist to facilitate this installation.
3
Commuter Costume
2019
Engraved Metal Spider with Tailored Suit Trousers. Rough measurements are 200cm x 100cm.
£720
4
Coronation Street of Contemporary Dance
2019
Live Performance with Projection proposal video
Please email artist to facilitate this performance.
6
Spider Diagram - “The Constant Mental State of Losing Your Mum in Tesco”
2019
T-shirts
£25
7
The Go Fuck Yourself Choir
2019
Performance
Please email artist to facilitate this performance.
8
WERE ALL JUST TRYING TO GET BY - T-shirts
2017 - Current
T-shirt + Link to TV audience tickets
£22
9
WERE ALL JUST TRYING TO GET BY AGAIN
2017 - 2019
Acrylic on Canvas, 150 x 130cm
£690
10
Consumerist Centipede
2017
Dried Centipede with hand-painted 3D printed boots
SOLD
11
Rush Hour
2017
Performance
Please email artist to facilitate this performance.
For all sales enquiries, please contact the artist directly.
All works are unframed, unless otherwise stated, and prices shown do not include postage and packaging.
NB: The Slade School of Fine Art does not act as an intermediary for sales, nor is it liable for any disputes arising from sales of artworks.