Arts
Matthew Burrows was born in 1971 in the Wirral, UK, and he currently lives and works in East Sussex. He studied as an undergraduate at Birmingham School of Art in 1990-93 and graduated with a Master's Degree in painting from the Royal College of Art London in 1995. . . Matthew's studio, on the site of an old windmill, is perched on a ridge between valleys. Despite the beautiful views and clear vistas his sense of place is far from sentimental. His relationship with habitat is not one of description or nostalgia, but one of dwelling and ritual. It is a process of mythologising, of drawing meaning from the particularities of the environment, of realising its wilderness and ours. . . I caught up with Matt a week or so after he set up his most recent initiative - The Artist Support Pledge. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many artists have found themselves without work, teaching, technical support, gallery work. The initiative aims to alleviate some of the stress the pandemic has caused, as many artists around the world have now found themselves without work. . . The concept is a simple one. Artists post images of their work, on Instagram which they are willing to sell for no more than £200 each (not including shipping). Anyone can buy the work. Every time an artist reaches £1000 of sales, they pledge to spend £200 on another artist/s work. . . As well as this initiative we talk about his other project -The ABC Projects Atelier that aims to support, create and maintain critical engagement and networks for artists, his interest in wilderness, the importance of support structures and breaking down hierachies, the power of generosity and how artists might readdress their roles with our current systems. . . You can get in touch with us with opinions and suggestions at: Email - tothestudio@gmail.com Instagram - instagram.com/tothestudio Facebook - facebook.com/tothestudiopodcast . . This podcast features an edited version of the song "RSPN" by Blank & Kytt, available under a Creative Commons Attribution license. http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Blank__Kytt/Heavy_Crazy_Serious/Blank__Kytt_-_Heavy_Crazy_Serious_-_08_RSPN