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Patricia Townsend

Associate Member

Patricia Townsend is an artist and a writer on art and psychoanalysis. Her book Creative States of Mind: Psychoanalysis and the Artist’s Process was published by Routledge in 2019. As an artist she works with photography, video, animation and installation and much of her work responds to elements of the landscape or natural world. She completed her PhD at the Slade School of Fine Art in 2017.

 

 

My doctoral research investigates the process of creating visual art and questions whether a psychoanalytic approach can illuminate this process. My chapter ‘Making Space’ in Little Madnesses: Winnicott, Transitional Phenomena and Cultural Experience ed. Annette Kuhn (I.B. Tauris, 2013) explores my own process of creating the Morecambe Bay series of works. Further research involves interviews with other professional visual artists and the sound installation The Other Room includes recordings of 26 of these interviews.

On the Shores
Transience of Wonder, 2017
Land Marks, 2017

Education

  • 2010
    • MPhil/PhD programme (Slade School of Fine Art)
  • 2002 - 2003
    • M.A. Photography (University of the Arts, London). Distinction.

Training in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (Westminster Pastoral Foundation)
Honours Degree in Physics (Somerville College, Oxford)

Selected Solo Exhibitions

  • 2018-2019
    • Black Sun, Blue Light, Brantwood, Coniston.
  • 2013
    • Under the Skin, The Blue Gallery, Brantwood, Coniston.
  • 2007 - 2008
    • The Circles they Desire, The Dock Museum, Barrow-in-Furness.
  • 2006
    •  The Circles they Desire, Borland Gallery, Salford.
  • 2001
    • Heavenly Bodies, Paolozzi Gallery, London.
  • 2000
    • Transforming Myth, TRACE, Weymouth.
  • 1999 -  2000
    • Transforming Myth, Gallery 1885.

Selected Group Exhibitions

  • 2019– 2020
    •  Black Sun in Ruskin: Museum of the Near Future, The Ruskin, University of Lancaster.
  • 2017
    •  Spaces of Time: The Transience of Wonder, Black Sun and Land Marks. Slade School of Fine Art, PhD exhibition.
  • 2015
    •  The Quick and the Dead in Bodies of Water, Cornwall Film Festival, Redruth.
  • 2014
    •  The Crossing in Still/Moving DSLR Film Festival, Grow, Brixton.
    • The Quick and the Dead in Bodies of Water, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol.
    •  The Quick and the Dead in Alchemy event, Hidden Door Festival, Edinburgh.
  • 2010
    • The Quick and the Dead in Sedition. Tullie House Art Gallery, Carlisle.
    • On the Shores in Your Future Needs You. ArtGene, Barrow-in-Furness.
    • The Gathering in Equal Night. The Dissenters' Chapel and Gallery, London
  • 2009
    • On the Shores, Bay Mountain, I am/I am not, Don’t Go in Six. Slade Research Centre, UCL, London.
    • On the Shores in Sequel: a Slade/Strang collaboration. Strang Print Room, University College London.
  • 2008
    • The Gathering and The Spectators in In the Window Fold Gallery, Kirkby Stephen.
  • 2006
    • Dance in group exhibition Talkshow., Lounge, London.
  • 2005
    • Full Circle in North-West Open Exhibition. Art Gene, Barrow-in-Furness.
  • 2004
    • The Spectators in group exhibition The Trace Edition. Hirschl Contemporary Art, London.
    • The Way in group exhibition Elegant Underground. raumpool e.V., Frankfurt.
  • 2003
    • Full Circle in group exhibition Attentive Lounge, London.
  • 2002
    • Ecclesia Mater and Spotless in group exhibition Obsessions II. Huddersfield Art Gallery.
  • 2001
    • Spread the Word Henley Festival - Towpath Gallery.
  • 2000
    • Ecclesia Mater as part of group exhibition Obsessions Herefordshire Photography Festival - Globe Gallery, Hay-on-Wye.
    • Cumbria Contemporary Print and Photography Beacon Gallery, Whitehaven; Dock Museum, Barrow in Furness (Feb - April 2001).
  • 1999
    • Ecclesia Mater as part of group exhibition ObsessionsStandpoint Gallery.
  • 1997
    • Unfolding Fetal medicine unit, St George's Hospital.
  • 1994 - 95
    • Touring exhibition. Viewfindings - Women Photographers, Landscape and Environment. Newlyn Orion Gallery; Watershed Gallery, Bristol;
    • National Museum of Photography, Bradford; Zone Gallery, Newcastle. (Oct - Aug)
  • 1994
    • Creating the Subject. Morley Gallery.
    • London Independent Photography exhibition. Barbican Library.
    • Photofusion. Group show In Search of Self.
  • 1992
    • Photofusion opening exhibition.
  • 1988
    • Madwoman in the Attic.Camberwell School of Art.
    • Spectrum Women's Photography Festival Open South London Gallery.

Screenings of Video Works

  • 2019
    • Sept 2019– February 2020: The Ruskin, University of Lancaster. Black Sun in Ruskin: Museum of the Near Future.
  • 2017
    • June 2017: Slade School of Fine Art, PhD exhibition. Spaces of Time: The Transience of Wonder, Black Sun and Land Marks.
  • 2015
    • November 2015: Cornwall Film Festival, Redruth. The Quick and the Dead in Bodies of Water.
  • 2014
    • Sept 2014: Grow, Brixton. The Crossing in Still/Moving DSLR Film Festival.
    • May 2014: Royal West of England Academy, Bristol. The Quick and the Dead in Bodies of Water.
    • March 2014: Hidden Door Festival, Edinburgh. The Quick and the Dead in Alchemy event.
  • 2012
    • December 2012: Delhi International Film Festival. Never to Arrive in World Cinema Showcase.
    • July 2012: University of Plymouth. The Quick and the Dead in Liquidity.
    • July 2012: East Street Arts, Leeds. Under the Skin in group exhibition Close to Home.
    • Feb 2012: Slade Research Centre. The Other Room in group exhibition Making Space
  • 2011
    • The Quick and the Dead in Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival. Hawick, Scotland.
    • Feb - March 2011: Camberwell Space, Camberwell College of Arts, London. The Way in group exhibition Elusive
  • 2010
    • Sept – Nov 2010: Tullie House Art Gallery, Carlisle. The Quick and the Dead in group exhibition Sedition.
    • Aug – Oct 2010: ArtGene, Barrow-in-Furness. On the Shores in group exhibition Your Future Needs You.
    •  Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. The Gathering and The Quick and the Dead in Elixir Programme.
    • June 2010:  Forum des Images, Paris. Old Man’s Beard in Thema Psychedelica, Pocket Films Festival.
    • March 2010: The Dissenters' Chapel and Gallery, London: The Gathering in Equal Night.
  • 2009
    • March 2009: Strang Print Room, University College London. On the Shores in Sequel: a Slade/Strang collaboration.
  • 2008
    • June - Sept 2008: Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. Dance in Elixir Programme.
    • Jan-March 2008: Fold Gallery, Kirkby Stephen. The Gathering and The Spectators in In the Window.
  • 2006
    • Nov 2006: The BBC Big Screen, Leeds Film Festival. Dance in Intermix.
    • July 2006: Lounge, London. Dance in moving image art event Time Flesh and Nerve.
    • June 2006: The BBC Big Screen, Exchange Square, Manchester. Full Circle in The Bigger Picture.
  • 2005
    • Oct - Nov 2005: Art Gene, Barrow-in-Furness. Full Circle in North-West Open Exhibition.
  • 2004
    • Nov 2004: Leeds International Film Festival. Present Absence in short film/video screening Intermix 04 at Cathedral Hall. Toured to The Lamp, Hull.
    • May 2004: raumpool e.V., Frankfurt. The Way in group exhibition Elegant Underground.
    • May 2004: Hirschl Contemporary Art, London. The Spectators in group exhibition The Trace Edition.
    • March 2004: Fotofest 2004, Houston, Texas. Full Circle in short film/ video screening Waterworks. Toured to 111 Minna Gallery, San Francisco; The Garage, Winston-Salem; Clinton Street Theatre, Portland; 21 Grand, Oakand; Miami Beach cinematheque, Miami; Voyage at Bada Lounge, Seattle; Neuer Standort, Vienna, Austria.
  • 2003
    • May - June 2003: Lounge, London. Full Circle in group exhibition Attentive.
  • 2002
    • April - June 2002: Huddersfield Art Gallery. Ecclesia Mater and Spotless in group exhibition Obsessions II.
  • 2000
    • Oct - Nov 2000: Herefordshire Photography Festival - Globe Gallery, Hay-on-Wye. Ecclesia Mater in group exhibition Obsessions.
    • March - April 2000: Beacon Gallery, Whitehaven; Dock Museum, Barrow in Furness (Feb - April 2001) Cumbria Contemporary Print and Photography.
  • 1999
    • Jan 1999: Standpoint Gallery. Ecclesia Mater in group exhibition Obsessions.

Publications

  • 2019
    • Townsend, P. (2019) Creative States of Mind: Psychoanalysis and the Artist’s Process. Routledge: London and New York.
  • 2017
    • Townsend, P. (2017) Between Inner and Outer Worlds. Photographers and Research: the role of research in contemporary photographic practice. Ed. Shirley Read and Mike Simmons. Routledge: London.
  • 2015
    • Townsend, P. (2015) Art and the Inner World. Catalogue essay for the exhibition Ikke Til Salg. Trapholt, Denmark.
    • Townsend, P. (2015) Creativity and Destructiveness in Art and Psychoanalysis. British Journal of Psychotherapy, Vol.31. No.1.
  • 2014
    • Townsend, P. (2014) Editorial and A Life of Its Own. Psychoanalysis and Artistic Process, Free Associations, 65. http://www.freeassociations.org.uk
  • 2013
    • Townsend, P. (2013) Making Space. Little Madnesses: Winnicott, Transitional Phenomena and Cultural Experience, Ed. Annette Kuhn. I.B.Tauris: London.
  • 2012
    • Townsend, P. (2012) Containing the Uncontainable: a review of Taryn Simon: A living man declared dead and other chapters. Exposure 45:2, Fall 2012. Society for Photographic Education: Cleveland, OH.
  • 2005
    • Townsend, P. (2005) Transitional spaces: surface, fantasy and illusion. Surface: Land/Water and the Visual Arts. L. Wells and S. Standing. Plymouth, University of Plymouth Press: 28-41.
  • 1999
    • Work discussed in Nexus: Theory and Practice in Contemporary Women's Photography; Volume 6 Palpable Signs by Barry Taylor, edited by Marsha Meskimmon, Scarlet Press.
  • 1994
    • Work featured in the book Viewfindings - Women Photographers, Landscape and Environment, Availablelight.
  • 1991
    • Contributor to the Women Artists' Diary.

Awards

  • 2007- 8
    • Arts Council individual artist’s award to develop Witches’ Dance and to exhibit The Circles they Desire at the Dock Museum.
  • 2006
    • Arts Council individual artist’s award to develop The Circles they Desire.
  • 2002
    • Group granted National Lottery’s Awards for All award for Obsessions II exhibition and study day at Huddersfield Art Gallery.
  • 1998 - 9
    • Group granted A4E Express award to produce work for Obsessions exhibition at Standpoint Gallery and to conduct associated study day.
  • 1996
    • London Arts Board individual artist's award for Transforming Myth.


Selected Presentations

  • 2012
    • University of Plymouth. Re-imagining Morecambe Bay. Paper given at international conference Water: Image
  • 2011
    • Royal College of Art, London. Envisioning the Unseen. Paper given at international conference Imagining Imagination.
  • 2010
    • Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery. Artist’s presentation in connection with the exhibition Sedition
  • 2008
    • Talking About Contemporary Art, Kendal. Artist’s talk.
  • 2006
    • University of Sunderland. Artist’s talk.
  • 2005
    • Salford University. Artist’s talk.
    • Leeds College of Art and Design. Artist’s presentation and masterclass.
  • 2004
    • Transitional Spaces: surface, fantasy and illusion. Guest speaker at symposium Land/Water and ‘Surface’. University of Plymouth, Exeter. June 24th-25th


Patricia Townsend
e-mail : townsendart@btinternet.com
website: www.patriciatownsend.net