Rachael Ashe: Patterns of Influence

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Rachel Ashe, "Hiveprints," 2020

mixed media

Rachael Ashe: Patterns of Influence

Patterns of Influence is a collection of handcrafted works from paper devised to visually challenge the viewer with intricate details on a grand scale. The exhibition aims to provoke conversation around materials, the use of hands-on methods, and the concept of slow craft. The title refers to the name of a modular three-dimensional installation featured in the show that was both the starting point and inspiration for this exhibition. It references the influence of pattern and surface design on the artist’s own work as well as the recognition of pre-industrial-age patterns that continue to resonate and evolve in current art and design practices.

A craftsperson is regularly confronted with the perception of the superiority of machine production over making by hand, as if a human being is incapable of producing an object at the same level of quality or skill as a machine. Rachael Ashe complicates these comparisons and assumptions through her hand-cut works that are initially perceived as laser-cut fabrications. While laser-cutting itself is a method of production that requires a high level of skill, it is not a simple solution to producing the work Ashe aspires to create.

Rachael Ashe (Vancouver, BC) is a graduate of the Creative Photography program at Humber College in Ontario, and is self-taught in paper-cutting and sculpting. She creates hand-cut artwork and installation from paper inspired by visual patterns found in nature, and influenced by textile design and production.