Derek Shiel
Encyclopedia
Derek Shiel is a Dublin-born, London
-based painter, sculptor, writer, and film-maker.
, Edinburgh
and the Edinburgh College of Art
, where he won the Andrew Grant Scholarship for two years, completed a Diploma in Art, and was awarded a post-graduate studio and a travelling scholarship which he took in the United States of America.
and Sound Sculptures, subjects on which he also leads workshops. From 1978 to 1998 Shiel practised as a landscape gardener, and between 1993 and 2009 practised as a psychotherapist.
's 1st Construction (in Metal), which Shiel first heard at a time when he had also found scrap metal components in the storeroom of his father's electrical business in Dublin. These components were used for the very first sound sculptures.
Since the late eighties, Sculpted Sound has established its reputation through performances, exhibitions and recordings. Among its earliest performances was that given at St James's Piccadilly as part of the William Blake Festival in 1987, in a composition by Julia Usher
. The ensuing years were marked by increasingly acclaimed appearances, most recently Futurism Updated at The Central School of Speech and Drama in London (2009), which was curated and presented by Shiel, as well as making use of his sculptures. The event was a concert marking the centenary of the publication of the Futurist Manifesto
by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti
, and was followed by the conference Theatre Noise, at which Shiel led a sound workshop.
As well as performances, Shiel's sculptures have been used as static objects in exhibitions. Notably, he was featured as Artist-in-Residence at the Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art, London in 2000. More recently, there have been Shiel solo exhibitions at the Gallery Oldham, near Manchester in 2003, and at the Festival of Sound, in Cork, the Republic of Ireland, in 2005.
In addition to the performances and exhibitions, Sculpted Sound has appeared on a number of recordings, including A New Guide to Sound Sculpture and Invented Instruments Vol.1 (FMR Records, 1997).
His work in puppet theatre spans over thirty years. He began by painting a costume for the performing ensemble Theatre of Puppets, London, and went onto design a puppet for them. For Christopher Leith, he adapted Iron Hans by the Brothers Grimm
and painted masks for his production of Beowulf
for The Royal National Theatre
production in London. As part of his Artist-in-Residence tenure at the Estorick Collection, he performed on his sound sculptures as accompaniment to a puppet show with Lindey Wright. His sound sculptures were also used for a production of Manfred by Byron put on by the Puppet Barge theatre company.
. The film includes interviews with art critic Richard Cork, Welsh poets Gillian Clarke, Owen Sheers, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams
. It is to be followed by David Jones Between The Wars: The Years of Achievement, which is currently in development.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-based painter, sculptor, writer, and film-maker.
Education
Shiel was educated at Fettes CollegeFettes College
Fettes College is an independent school for boarding and day pupils in Edinburgh, Scotland with over two thirds of its pupils in residence on campus...
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and the Edinburgh College of Art
Edinburgh College of Art
Edinburgh College of Art is an art school in Edinburgh, Scotland, providing tertiary education in art and design disciplines for over two thousand students....
, where he won the Andrew Grant Scholarship for two years, completed a Diploma in Art, and was awarded a post-graduate studio and a travelling scholarship which he took in the United States of America.
Career
Shiel took a number of teaching appointments at the outset of his career. These included Art Tutor, Berkshire College of Art from 1963 to 1965, Art Tutor at West Sussex College of Art from 1964 to 1969, and Lecturer in Art Appreciation and Art Tutor at the City Literary Institute, London, 1965 to 1977. His lecturing career has continued in the ensuing years with events at art galleries, museums, universities and art societies, with a particular emphasis on David JonesDavid Jones
-American football:* David D. Jones , American football player better known as Deacon Jones* David Jones , American football player for the Jacksonville Jaguars...
and Sound Sculptures, subjects on which he also leads workshops. From 1978 to 1998 Shiel practised as a landscape gardener, and between 1993 and 2009 practised as a psychotherapist.
Sculpted Sound
Sculpted Sound is Shiel's sound sculpture ensemble, of which he is both the Artistic Director and the sculptor. It comprises twenty metal sculptures which are either used in performance as percussion instruments or simply exhibited as sculpture. The collection was created as a response to John CageJohn Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
's 1st Construction (in Metal), which Shiel first heard at a time when he had also found scrap metal components in the storeroom of his father's electrical business in Dublin. These components were used for the very first sound sculptures.
Since the late eighties, Sculpted Sound has established its reputation through performances, exhibitions and recordings. Among its earliest performances was that given at St James's Piccadilly as part of the William Blake Festival in 1987, in a composition by Julia Usher
Julia Usher
Julia Usher is an English musician, project animateur and composer, and is known for musical theater. Besides composing, she also works as a music therapist.-Biography:...
. The ensuing years were marked by increasingly acclaimed appearances, most recently Futurism Updated at The Central School of Speech and Drama in London (2009), which was curated and presented by Shiel, as well as making use of his sculptures. The event was a concert marking the centenary of the publication of the Futurist Manifesto
Futurist Manifesto
The Futurist Manifesto, written by the Italian poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, was published in the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dell'Emilia in Bologna on 5 February 1909, then in French as "Manifeste du futurisme" in the newspaper Le Figaro on 20 February 1909...
by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti
Filippo Tommaso Marinetti
Filippo Tommaso Emilio Marinetti was an Italian poet and editor, the founder of the Futurist movement, and a fascist ideologue.-Childhood and adolescence:...
, and was followed by the conference Theatre Noise, at which Shiel led a sound workshop.
As well as performances, Shiel's sculptures have been used as static objects in exhibitions. Notably, he was featured as Artist-in-Residence at the Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art, London in 2000. More recently, there have been Shiel solo exhibitions at the Gallery Oldham, near Manchester in 2003, and at the Festival of Sound, in Cork, the Republic of Ireland, in 2005.
In addition to the performances and exhibitions, Sculpted Sound has appeared on a number of recordings, including A New Guide to Sound Sculpture and Invented Instruments Vol.1 (FMR Records, 1997).
Writing
Having begun his writing career with work for theatre, Shiel then wrote an essay in Fathers and Sons, edited by Tom Hyde, a collection of reminiscences of men and the impact their fathers had had on them. The book came about as a result of his involvement in Menswork and as a practising psychotherapist. There followed a series of books about poet and painter David Jones, of which Shiel was either co-author or editor, including David Jones: The Maker Unmade (Seren, 1995), David Jones: Ten Letters (Agenda Editions, 1996), and David Jones in Ditchling (Ditchling Museum, 2003). His lecture, Why and How David Jones Became a Poet was subsequently published by The Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion in England, and Flashpoint magazine in America. Shiel was sole author of Arthur Giardelli, Paintings, Constructions, Relief Sculptures, Conversations with Derek Shiel (Seren, 2000).Theatre
Over the course of thirty years of writing and directing for theatre, Shiel has been commissioned by the Caricature Theatre in Cardiff to create a stage adaptation of Gogol's The Overcoat (1980), as well as conceiving, writing and directing a number of his own works. These include Which One of Me? (1981), a one-man show, and Landing Site, an environmental performance at St James's Piccadilly (1981), both starring Colin Harris. The latter also featured percussionists Vivien Loader and Tim Dennis. Currently, Shiel is working on five new monologues for theatre.His work in puppet theatre spans over thirty years. He began by painting a costume for the performing ensemble Theatre of Puppets, London, and went onto design a puppet for them. For Christopher Leith, he adapted Iron Hans by the Brothers Grimm
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
and painted masks for his production of Beowulf
Beowulf
Beowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
for The Royal National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
production in London. As part of his Artist-in-Residence tenure at the Estorick Collection, he performed on his sound sculptures as accompaniment to a puppet show with Lindey Wright. His sound sculptures were also used for a production of Manfred by Byron put on by the Puppet Barge theatre company.
Filmwork
Shiel wrote and directed In Search of David Jones: Artist, Soldier, Poet (2008), a well-received documentary focussing on the painter and poet's experiences in the First World War, and its impact upon his most famous poetic work In ParenthesisIn Parenthesis
In Parenthesis is an epic poem of World War I by David Jones first published in England in 1937. Although Jones had been known solely as an engraver and painter prior to its publication, the poem won the Hawthornden Prize and the admiration of writers such as W.B. Yeats and T. S. Eliot...
. The film includes interviews with art critic Richard Cork, Welsh poets Gillian Clarke, Owen Sheers, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams
Rowan Williams
Rowan Douglas Williams FRSL, FBA, FLSW is an Anglican bishop, poet and theologian. He is the 104th and current Archbishop of Canterbury, Metropolitan of the Province of Canterbury and Primate of All England, offices he has held since early 2003.Williams was previously Bishop of Monmouth and...
. It is to be followed by David Jones Between The Wars: The Years of Achievement, which is currently in development.
Painting
Shiel's paintings in acrylic, both figurative and abstract, have been exhibited since the 1960s in Scotland, England, Switzerland and America. Stylistically, the works are modern and make expressive use of colour.Filmography
- In Search of David Jones: Artist, Soldier, Poet (2008), The David Jones Society.
Discography
- A New Guide to Sound Sculpture and Invented Instruments (FMR, CD80-0501, 1997)
- FMR Sampler (FMR, Cover-mounted with Avant magazine)