Recent graduate Jamie Measure-Hughes talks about his studio practice and how the MA Fine Art course pushed him to expand his practice into ambitious large-scale installations.
Describe your experience at Chelsea in 3 words
Fast, challenging, engaging.
Please tell us about your work over the last year
My work focuses on the suspension of belief, fabrication and subversion. Over the past year my work has changed substantially: I have learnt to take my practice as a whole far more seriously and simultaneously adopt a more playful or ‘absurd’ approach when it comes to making. I have progressed from creating quite pent-up static paintings to large scale installations that command the space in a far more successful manner. I have been mainly using re-purposed materials such as fly mesh, polystyrene and tracing paper, combined with lighting and sound.
Please tell us about the work you created for your MA Fine Art Summer Show
I spent the last few months of the course constructing a ‘ziggurat’ staircase. It is a piece of work that seeked to encourage feelings of confusion and unease through scale and sound. In opposition, there is a ‘thin’ formlessness to the piece which allowed the viewer to see past what they are in front of them.
What was your greatest challenge in working towards the degree show?
Having spent most of my artist practice painting and creating small scale sculptures, I decided that due to the remarkable facilities and technical staff at Chelsea, I would spend the year pushing myself technically. Creating these large scale works have demanded of me a strong work ethic and physical commitment.
What do you see yourself doing after you graduate, what are your career ambitions?
I am aiming my sights at working within a technical department at a school/college or museum in London. I have recently done small amounts of technical work at the ICA and am set on pursuing this kind of employment this in order to support my practice, which will remain my main focus.
What have you enjoyed most about studying at Chelsea?
I enjoyed the intensity most. Much like a foundation year, you can already see the end in sight before its even begun. Alongside this, the people I have met have been some of the most committed artists and have been truly eye opening. I feel I had a strong peer group which resulted in this MA becoming a very educational year for me.
What have you most enjoyed about the area around Chelsea? Any tips?
As soon as I started the course I essentially felt like I had moved into Chelsea- the area has everything you need and you rarely have to leave. Tate Britain is next door, the V&A only down the road and a good selection of hardware stores. It’s also a very nice area to spend much of your time.
What would you say to someone who is thinking about doing your course? Any advice?
Make it your main priority; it’ll demand a lot of you and you need to make sure that you can give everything you have. Experiment with things and allow yourself to make mistakes, they are usually the things that lead to the most interesting work.
Make sure to be on site as much as possible and get involved – it’ll lead you to things you’d never considered and who knows how that may inform your work.
See more on Jamie’s website and instagram
Find out more about studying MA Fine Art at Chelsea