Monday 13 September 2010

Su Blackwell

As I was reading the Luxury Fashion Special of YOU INSPIRED magazine, I came across an article named 'Glitter Bugs'. The photographic piece showcased the latest, most glamourous jewellery in the shops right now. Little creatures such as; bumblebees, butterflies and birds, all glistened amongst a lovely white woodland made entirely from paper. The fine print told me the paper sculptures were made by Su Blackwell.

Su Blackwell specialises in working with paper. An artist and art director, she has participated in plenty of advertising campaigns and group exhibitions; as well as her own solo shows. She graduated from Bradford College of Art and Design with a BA (Hons) Art & Design and then gained an MA in Textiles from the Royal College of Art, London. Her online portfolio includes book sculptures, installations, and commercial projects.

The book sculptures are open books, and the sculpture aspect is seemingly created from the open pages. Mostly they are children's books; fairytale and folklore. Some are contained in glass fronted boxes and are lit within, casting brilliant shadows and highlighting the delicate sculptures.

'Out of Narnia' 2009

'The Girl in the wood' 2008

'Hope' 2009

 Her installations see her filling gallery spaces with large pieces of work; some similar to the book sculptures, some hanging installations and some entire rooms.

Much like 'Hope', 'While you were sleeping' features a cloud of flying butterflies. The butterflies are escaping from a hanging dress, full of butterfly-shaped holes. The holes form a beautiful netting effect on the hanging material.


'While you were sleeping' 2004

'The Secret Garden' is essentially, a larger-than-life Su Blackwell book sculpture, which viewers can interact with.


'The Secret Garden' 2006

Her largest piece of work and another interactive piece, '1000 origami birds for Carly' is a room containing 1000 paper birds.


'1000 origami birds for Carly' 2003

The small and delicate nature of her work has made Su Blackwell a popular choice for advertising campaigns, in particular, those involving jewellery.


Vogue UK 2008


Cartier Store, Paris. 2009



Harrods Magazine 2009

http://www.sublackwell.co.uk/