Curios About: FRAKTA by Finlay Byrne

Handmade crafts beat IKEA-bought items, says artist Finlay Byrne. Drawing inspiration from Claes Oldenburg’s “Soft Pay-Telephone”, she made this work to prompt us to think about the differences.

FRAKTA
By Finlay Byrne
Double knitting wool
55 cm x 37 cm x 35 cm

1. This work is about . . . a reinterpretation of iconic mass-produced items through craft processes using IKEA as a focal reference point. Through the changing of the process, the work aims to raise questions around the process of making and the time and labour invested in a product that could have been quickly purchased in the international furniture chain, IKEA.

2. I made this work because . . . I had just finished my thesis as part of my fourth year in Dublin Institute of Technology’s bachelor’s degree in fine art. Through a keen interest in the varying treatment of handicrafts and fine arts within the visual-arts world, the ideas around value and investment into the making process were of great important to my practice. In the making of this work as well as others in this series, time, material and labour are all key components.

3. I hope when people see this work they will . . . question the value and appreciation of handmade objects. The time and labour investments in handmade objects add more character and a unique appreciation for the making of the object. They are far superior, in my opinion, to mass-produced objects such as those sold at IKEA.

4. In terms of art history, this work . . . is similar to Claes Oldenburg’s works such as “Soft Pay-Telephone”. His reinterpretation of mundane objects raised curiosity around the making of the objects, as well as the meaning behind them. William Morris is a key figure in relation to the issues investigated in my practice, specifically for his text “The Revival of Handicrafts” from 1888.

5. You can see my work . . . at the Dublin Institute of Technology graduate exhibition, opening 2 June 2016 at the Grangegorman campus, as well as on my Facebook page, here.

Curios [sic] About is a series featuring works by Dublin artists, curated for us by our friends at the Square in the Circle blog, and hosted there as well as here.

Each artist is asked to submit an image of one work and answer a set of questions about it. We’d love it if you’d submit something you’ve made.