Tom Baskeyfield

Biography

Over recent years, Tom Baskeyfield's practice has developed in response to the ecological crisis, and a concern for how we got here.

He is moved to seek out the connections and relationships we have with the Earth in all its biotic and geological wonder. This takes him back to the land where he is drawn, in particular, to fields and quarries, seeing them as potential bridging places; sites of interaction and learning between ourselves, the planet, and the cosmos.

The relationship we have with the land is deeply complex; we are on the one hand of it, yet our behaviour is against it. It supports our existence (and that of all life), yet we deplete it's potential to do so.

Working across disciplines, but with a focus on analogue materials and processes, Tom sees art as lens and language to explore this relationship, and to respond and communicate.

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Over the past few years, Tom has been working with photographer Mario Popham on 'Shaped by Stone'. Initially commissioned for the Barnaby Festival in Macclesfield, 'Shaped by Stone: Strata to Streets' has gone on to be exhibited at GroundWork Gallery, King's Lynn and PAPER Gallery, Manchester. They have also presented and discussed the project at conferences in Plymouth, Dartington, and Sheffield. In 2017, with backing from HOME Manchester, they were awarded funding by Arts Council England to pursue the second leg of the project: 'OF Flesh and Stone'.

In Strata to Streets they looked closely at a hillside quarry (now a country park) - Tegg's Nose - and it's relationship to Macclesfield Town Centre. They sought to draw attention to the pink gritstone jutting out of the earth up on the hill and the journey it took to lie as flagstones, setts and facing stones in the town.

For Flesh and Stone they shifted their gaze from the local to the national, and international. From the hills and rooftops of Macclesfield they looked across the Cheshire Plains to the mountains of North Wales. Here they focussed on slate and its relationship to the industrial north of England. This leg of the project was exhibited at HOME, Mcr, in 2018.

In 2020 they launched the book Of Flesh and Stone. A beautiful companion to the project, laid out echoing the installation of the work at HOME, Mcr, with insightful and emotive essays by writer Sara Jaspan and geologist Ruth Siddall of UCL. To coincide with this launch, STONE WORDS was also published. The first full publication of Tom Baskeyfield's writing, STONE WORDS is a collection of essays, poems, word pieces and photographs made about and in the company of stone. Five years in the making, it chronicles a personal journey with stone and evokes further vistas in the Shaped by Stone project.

trbinside@hotmail.com
www.shapedbystone.com
www.tombaskeyfield.blogspot.com

CV

Exhibitions:

2020:
. In Steps of Sundew Fermynwoods Contemporary Arts, The Arches, Fineshade Wood, Nr Corby, Northants (To open April 10th)

2019:
. The Wales Contemporary Waterfront Gallery, Pembrokeshire; Mall Galleries, London (October – November)
. To The Fore Silk Mill Studios, Frome (April)

2018:
. Black Swan Open Black Swan, Frome (October)
. Techne (group show) Neo Arts, Bolton (August)
. Of Flesh and Stone HOME, Manchester (March – April)

2017:
. For Space (group show) Paper, Manchester (May – June)
. On the Stony Path (w/ herman de vries & Sibylle Eimermacher) GroundWork Gallery, King’s Lynn, Norfolk (March – July)

2016:
. Northern Light SIA Gallery, Sheffield Hallam University (Showing elements of Shaped by Stone) (July)
. Shaped by Stone (Commissioned by The Barnaby Festival) duel venue in Macclesfield Town Centre and Tegg’s Nose Country Park (June)

2015:
Monoliths of the Field Commissioned by Sale Waterside Arts centre (August – September)

2014:
. Soil Culture Forum Falmouth University (July)
. bir! bir! The Art Yard, Macclesfield (June – July)
. The Walking Encyclopedia Air Space Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent (February – March)

2013:
Android 4 Piccadilly Place, Manchester (June)

2012:
. Cultivation Field Various venues in Reading (June)
. Barnaby Festival Macclesfield (June)

2011:
. Square Eyes 3 - Da2011 The Exchange, Penzance, Cornwall (October)
. Sensing Earth: Art and Environment (MA show spilt over two venues)
. University College Falmouth, Cornwall (September)
. Kestle Barton, Cornwall (September)
. MA interim show CCANW, Haldon Forest Park, Exeter, Devon.

2010:
Local Perspectives Barnaby Festival, Macclesfield (June)

2009:
. IV Rogue Studios Project Space, Manchester (October)
. Unique Perspectives Chapel Gallery, Ormskirk (September-October)
. Baskeyfield & Machell Red Gallery, Hull. (August-September)
. A New View Dukes Court Artists Studios, Macclesfield (March)

2008:
. Art Transpennine 08 various locations in and around Manchester

2007:
. Event 7: Phase 1 Islington Mill, Salford
(working in collaboration as, wessandbaskeyfield)

Curated Exhibitions (As Artist and Curator)

2018: Of Flesh and Stone (Curated w/Mario Popham. HOME Mcr)
2016: Shaped by Stone (Curated w/Mario Popham. Commissioned by The Barnaby Festival) duel venue in Macclesfield Town and Tegg’s Nose Country Park (June)
2015: Monoliths of the Field Commissioned by Sale Waterside Arts Centre (August – September)
2014: bir! bir! The Art Yard, Macclesfield (June – July)

Grants, Commissions, Awards

2018:
Best 3D work, Black Swan Open

2017 - 2018:
Grants for the Arts funding awarded by Arts Council England for Of Flesh and Stone working in collaboration with photographer Mario Popham.

2015 - 2016:
Funded commission awarded by The Barnaby Festival, Macclesfield for Shaped by Stone working in collaboration with photographer Mario Popham.
The project was brought to fruition during the festival in 2016 (June)

Conferences & Presentations

2021:
'Death of Stories / Examples of Life' presented as part of Borrowed Time, a conference on death, dying and change organised by Art dot Earth, in conjunction with The Dark Mountain Project. Three day conference (October - November)

2020:
Presentation of Of Flesh and Stone for the book launch of the project of the same title, HOME, Manchester w/ Mario Popham (February)

2018:
. Presentation of Shaped by Stone for New Networks for Nature: Nature Matters (November)
. Presentation of Of Flesh and Stone at HOME, Manchester w/ Mario Popham (April)
. Artist of the month for art.earth (art.earth.org) (January)

2017:
. Presentation of Of Flesh and Stone at CMIT: Cross, Multi, Inter, Trans (Land2 and ASLE biannual conference) w/ Mario Popham Sheffield Hallam (September)
. Presentation of Shaped by Stone w/ Mario Popham
at GroundWork Gallery, King’s Lynn, Norfolk (March)
. Presentation of Shaped by Stone w/ Mario Popham HOME, Manchester (January)

2016:
. Presentation of Shaped by Stone at Northern Light (part of supporting exhibition) Sheffield Hallam (July)
. Presentation of Shaped by Stone at Language, Landscape and The Sublime (art.earth inaugural conference) Schumacher College, Devon (June)
. Presentation of Shaped by Stone at Traffic: movement / place / flow / mobility (Land2 and Land/Water conference) Plymouth University and College of Art (April)

Workshops

2018:
Drawing In: The Ash Tree w/Lotte Scott Drawing workshop responding to a local ash tree. Commissioned by The Barnaby Festival, Macclesfield

2016:
Shaped by Stone (Excavating place) Walking workshop held over two consecutive weekends exploring the relationship between Tegg’s Nose Quarry and Macclesfield Town Centre. (Commissioned by The Barnaby Festival.) (June)

Publications & Press

2020:
. Stone Words Book of writing – poetry, prose, word pieces – published alongside Of Flesh and Stone
. Of Flesh and Stone Book for the project of the same title

2018:
Northern Lights Sheffield Hallam

2018:
Dark Mountain Book 14 ‘Terra’ Shaped by Stone (Essay and images)

2017:
Shaped by Stone published by HOME, Mcr

2012:
Dark Mountain Book 3 Of Time in a Field (photo essay)

2011:
Peninsula Issue 2: Borders Topographical Dissection No.6 Clutag Press 2011

2009:
Chapel Gallery: Unique Perspectives write up by Ian Jackson. Art in Liverpool.com September 17th

Residencies

2011:
CCANW Haldon Forest Park, Exeter, Devon. This was a week-long residency in which I stayed at CCANW and created work in response to its location in Haldon Forest Park. (March-April)

2009:
Rogue Studios Project Space Manchester (August-October)