Whilst I live I’ll Crow

Matthew Dowell

Matthew Dowell works across the expanded fields of print, performance, and sculpture. He is a recent graduate from the Royal College of Art and has exhibited across the UK and the Northeast; recently receiving a commission from The Spaghetti Factory and Sunderland Creative to create a billboard on the Silksworth Row in Sunderland.

Dowell is interested in how we define and occupy place, he responds to specific sites exploring local histories and recording signifiers of place such as street and welcome signs, maps, and discarded ephemera. Through his subtle playful responses, Dowell subverts our expectation of otherwise largely familiar things, quietly altering materials, text, and tone. His work hopes to prompt conversation around how we relate to place and objects.

‘Whilst I live I’ll Crow’ works with the playful seaside imagery he has collected as part of a larger and ongoing project. The laser cut sun and ‘seaside’ text act as a peephole to a halftone costal scene behind. The work will shift from day to night once it is illuminated, providing a much-needed reminder of sun during the dark cold winter months.

For more information about Matthew’s work see @matthewjamesdowell