Chris Taylor

     
Chris Taylor
University of Leeds

c.a.taylor@leeds.ac.uk
http://www.fine-art.leeds.ac.uk/people/christopher-taylor/


Biography

Chris Taylor is an artist, curator and publisher working in the areas of contemporary printmaking, artists’ books and curation. Since 1999, Taylor has worked in collaboration with artist Craig Wood (Taylor & Wood) exploring a series of concepts that address issues of authorship, creativity, interactivity and dissemination through the unlikely medium of repeat pattern wallpapers. Works are included in many collections including MoMA, New York, National Gallery of Canada, Chicago Institute of Art, Art Gallery of Ontario, Tate Gallery and V&A, London, Pompidou Centre, Paris and Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester. He is Senior Lecturer in Fine Art at the University of Leeds.

Themed Panel

Assegno in Bianco / Blank Cheque
The collaborative practice, ‘Taylor & Wood’, was instigated by the international touring artists’ book exhibition, Inside Cover (curator, Jonathan Ward, 2000).

For Inside Cover, Taylor & Wood expanded upon the conceptual possibilities of wallpaper in their screenprinted book, Down on Paper – wallpaper to complete. Focusing upon interaction, Taylor & Wood produced a sample book of eighteen repeat patterns offering the viewer an opportunity to consider and ‘complete’ the designs.

In 2002 the Ikon Gallery, Birmingham saw a potential in Down on Paper and began negotiations with Graham & Brown wallpaper manufacturers in Blackburn to print, as short-run editions, three of the designs – Frames, Diary Pages and Dot-to-Dot – to be used within the gallery context and for educational outreach. These interactive patterns encourage the viewer to colour, draw or write on the artwork, expanding the nature of collaboration and blurring the boundary between artist and viewer, private and public.

Taylor & Wood have continued to collaborate with Graham & Brown who have actively supported this ongoing project through the development and printing of new artists’ wallpapers for installations and commissions including the V&A, London and the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, exploring diverse issues such as the environment, global finance and surveillance.

Open Books

Open Books
Screenprinted in wallpaper sample book format, 52 x 57cm, Down on Paper – wallpaper to complete is a series of eighteen repeat patterns where the viewer is asked to consider and ‘complete’ the designs, expanding the conceptual possibilities of wall coverings. With the main focus upon interaction, these patterns use ‘dot-to-dot’ configurations, a variety of ‘notation’ papers such as the diary page and the musical stave, and ‘colouring-in’ as their formats. The viewer is thus encouraged to draw, write, or colour the artwork, expanding the nature of collaboration and blurring the boundary between artist and viewer, private and public. Edition of 100.