“Beauty can be about a problem; something that repels you or makes you question the status quo” (Kate MccGwire, Author’s Statement). This quote rings true to London, England artist Kate MccGwire, and her artwork, in the most genuine sense. Her artwork both startles and awes you, pulls you in and pushes you back, and above all, fills you with wonderment and disbelief. Kate takes nature at it’s best, as well as at it’s worst, and transforms it into a piece of artwork unlike any other. She proves that artistic materials can be found in the most unlikely of situations, as a result of the most unlikely of sources.
Most artwork begins with gaining inspiration from somewhere, something, or someone. A spark flies, ignites, and explodes in the mind of an artist in a way that seems supernatural. Supernatural- to the potential degree of eeriness. It is a mystery that will forever baffle the minds of spectators, researchers, critics, fellow artists, as well as the artist him or herself. For Kate MccGwire, inspiration comes in a few different forms. Most of her inspiration comes from somewhat classic and expected sources. That is not to say that she doesn’t have her quirk in the aspect of inspiration. Kate finds inspiration in the beauty of nature and the artistic notions of the abject. However, the strangest and most unfathomable source of inspiration for Kate is in Sigmund Freud’s Unheimlich (meaning The Uncanny or Un-homely).
Sigmund Freud’s Unheimlich is an essay about things and situations that are uncanny, hidden, and repetitious to human kind. Wikipedia sums up The Uncanny in an accurate yet short and sweet definition,” The Uncanny reminds us of our own ID, our hidden, thus repressed impulses perceived as a threatening force by our super-ego, ridden with oedipal guilt as it fears symbolic castration by punishment for deviating from societal norms.” True to The Uncanny, Kate takes a link in the chain of social norm, in this case a link of aversion, and breaks free of that repression.
The way in which Kate’s inspiration and the end result of her artwork coincide is flawless. She takes the feathers of pigeons, birds that are frowned upon by society, referred to as “flying rats”, and turns them into something beautiful and clean. Using pigeon feathers for art, and in the quantity in which she uses them, is indeed an uncanny thing to do. This, however, provokes and heightens the eyes and senses of spectators, bringing them to a wholly new level of art. She takes the molting of a “filthy” bird and turns it into something striking and seemingly out of this world.
Kate MccGwire is an artist who works, lives, and breathes patience. In an interview with Juxtapoz Magazine, Kate revealed that the process of collecting the materials for her creations takes months, even years, to attain. She also told Juxtapoz that, over a course of three years, she went from collecting feathers in the parks of London, to calling up pigeon racers for molten feathers, to regularly receiving envelopes full of feathers from over two hundred people. Even receiving envelopes, full to the point of combustion, doesn’t speed up the procedure of collecting material. As if the process of finding and gaining enough feathers, just to start a piece wasn’t long enough, her process of design and formation take months as well. However, time is not of the essence to MccGwire.
Kate states that her pieces,” Evolve intuitively as if out of the subconscious” (Author’s statement, website). Allowing her work to both breathe and develop, with no true expectation, she takes her time to gather, collate, re-use, layer, burn, reveal, locate, question, duplicate, play, and photograph. There is no rush or self-made dead line for MccGwire. Just pure art being created in the quiet simplicity of patience.
Her artwork both denies society’s idea of cleanliness and beauty, and re-defines it. She takes the refuse of a bird that is socially accepted as disgusting and creates wonder. What’s more, she has society joining in to her denial and re-definition; people send her pigeon feathers, gathered by their own hands. Thus, causing people to question the status quo and let go of the norm to be repelled.
