Navvies
New public artwork opens at Salford Quays
01/12/22
Navvies has opened at Salford Quays, a major new participatory artwork created by Matthew in collaboration with Salford residents, featuring underwater projections and a new community garden. The music has been created by Hayley Suviste and performed by the BBC Philharmonic. A Lightwaves 2022 co-commission between Quays Culture, Mediale and MediaCity.
Project documentary here
Project website here
Selected media: BBC, Big Issue North
City of Trees
Live Show & EP Release
12/11/22
The music from Matthew's 2021 installation City of Trees has been released as an EP by NYX and Laura Misch and developed into a live show. The live show took place on Saturday 12th November at Kings Place London, and featured holographic projections of the ancient trees from the original Epping Forest installation. EP Link
Navvies
New Public Art Commission
19/10/22
A mass-participatory artwork commemorating the 17,000 labourers who dug the Manchester Ship Canal. Navvies will be launched as the headline project of Quays Culture's Lightwaves festival running December 01 - 10, 2022 at Salford Quays. Visit SalfordNavvies.com for further information.
Yarm is_
New Gallery Commission
01/10/22
Matthew is working on a permanent participatory artwork for the new Yarm Heritage Centre opening 2023. As part of the project, Matthew is working with Mediale on a series of community interactions this Autumn including digital and physical postcards to invite responses to the prompt 'Yarm is_', and a series of in person workshops in Yarm.
City of Trees
City of Trees installation opens
04/11/21
City of Trees is now open 5 - 11pm November 4 - 10th 2021 outside St Mary Aldermary Church in the City of London. Featuring life-size video portraits of Oak, Beech and Hornbeam pollards from Epping Forest projected into the the City accompanied by an immersive soundscape by James Bulley and original musical score for each by NYX and Laura Misch. Commissioned by the City of London Corporation. Further information here
Pontefract Giants
New public artwork opens at Pontefract Castle
25/09/21
As night fell on the weekend of the Autumn Equinox, a ring of trees on top of Pontefract Castle transformed into ancestral giants, in an vast audiovisual art installation that told a 300,000 yearlong story of the entangled relationship between humanity and nature. Pontefract Giants was created by Matthew Rosier and James Bulley, with the poetic narrative written by Daisy Lafarge, performed by Annabel Scholey, and was the result of a 6-month collaboration with residents of Pontefract - over thirty of whom featured as projected giants. The project was commissioned by Wakefield Council with support from Arts + Heritage and Arts Council England.
Introducing: City of Trees
An introduction to a new public artwork and video series
12/10/21
City of Trees is an installation and video series dedicated to Epping Forest’s ancient relationship with humans and London. It consists of three lifesize video projections of ancient oak, beech and hornbeam trees in Epping, alongside an original soundscape and musical composition for each. The immersive outdoor projections will be taking place at St Aldermary Church in the City of London from the 4 – 11 November.
Keppel's Column
New public artwork installed at Keppel's Column
17/04/21
During the one night event a video of the local community walking in parade was projected onto the 35 meter tall monument. The work was commissioned by Rotherham Council.
Shadowing London
Shadowing installed outside London's Tate Modern
12/12/20
Matthew Rosier and Jonathan Chomko have installed their public artwork Shadowing outside the Tate Modern as a gift to Londoners at the close of 2020. Shadowing was installed with the help of Southwark Council, and will remain there for an indeterminate amount of time while the institution's doors are closed.
Relative Clocks
Relative Clocks installed at We the Curious Museum
15/11/20
Matthew Rosier and Jonathan Chomko's 2017 installation Relative Clocks has been installed at We the Curious in Bristol for an eight year exhibition titled 'Project What If'. Unfortunately the public opening is delayed until Covid restrictions are loosened in Bristol. Relative Clocks was originally commissioned by the UK Space Agency as part of their public outreach programme.
A City to Worship Nature
Blog post
10/11/20
Last year I participated in the British Council Japan residency in Ise, Japan. I’ve distilled my experiences into this article, exploring what Ise can tell us about how to create environmentally sustainable cities. Article here
Empty Squares
Blog post
29/07/20
Last year Mark Zuckerberg described Facebook as "the digital equivalent of a town square". I argue that the use of this metaphor is deliberately deceptive, and why the common acceptance of Facebook as a "public space" allows it to counter regulation. Article here
Climate Curriculum Campaign
Architects Climate Action Network launch campaign to increase climate literacy in architecture education
10/07/20
Presently, architecture schools across the country are not imparting basic carbon literacy skills, failing both their students and the wider public. ACAN's campaign demands environmental design be incorporated into every module, utterly normalising it and removing its specialist status. As part of my work with ACAN I produced a series of campaign visuals, some of which are included above. See the campaign website for more info
Ending Artist Precarity
Blog post
30/06/20
In 2019 I returned to my high school to deliver a talk titled “What is an Artist?”. In this post I argue why there is, in fact, nothing I can say to young people to convince them of a viable career to be found here. How the state of instant-precarity artists found themselves in as a result of Covid-19 has highlighted existing disparities in how public art funding is distributed, and why this relegates the job of artist to a lucky or networked few. I present ideas and examples of how we could do things differently, to ensure one day, being an artist could be a job without the precondition of precarity. Article here
Lighting Public Spaces Post-Pandemic
Matthew and Jonathan Chomko deliver webinar for the Institute of Lighting Professionals
13/06/20
A 20 minute talk and Q&A discussing their collaborative street light project Shadowing. They introduce ideas for a new permanent version of the installation, and explore its potential relevance as a "social infrastructure" as we try to re-connect with public spaces and local communities. Further details and slides available here
A Statue is an "Edit"
Blog post
12/06/20
My response to Boris Johnson's assertion that to remove a statue is to "edit or censor our past". I argue that a statue is itself an "edit” of our past — the selection of a life, lives or event over all others. To remove a statue is therefore to remove an edit of history — not history itself — and may result in a less exclusive public realm. Article here
Wood Rots Like We Do Trailer
Tailer for a proposed film set in Ise, japan
22/04/20
A film about how Japan’s Holy City, Ise, became a model for a sustainable way of life, over 1,000 years ago. Currently in its planning phase, project partners and funders are now sought to begin making the film in late 2020. A pdf film proposal is available here.
Save Safe Structural Timber
Architects Climate Action Network launch campaign to prevent a proposed ban of structural timber
04/04/20
ACAN's campaign urges the UK government not to ban the use of cross-laminated timber and glulam as it could have a serious environmental impacts. The campaign has already attracted over 60 consultation responses, and is gaining online momentum, with articles featured in Dezeen and Architects Journal. Matthew is a SSST campaign coordinator on behalf of ACAN and produces the campaign's visual material. See the campaign website for more info
Ise City Residency Interview
British Council releases Ise City Residency video documentation
20/01/20
The British Council have released video documentation of the Ise City Japan residency Matthew which took part in in October 2019. The documentation includes a short video interview with Matthew (above), along with a 5 minute residency documentary here.
Relative Clocks Exhibition
Relative Clocks is to be exhibited at the Cube Design Museum, Netherlands
15/01/20
Matthew Rosier and Jonathan Chomko's 2017 installation Relative Clocks is to be exhibited at the Cube Design Museum in the Netherlands from May 30th - November 8th 2020. Relative Clocks was originally commissioned by the UK Space Agency as part of their public outreach programme.
Five Niches
Matthew presents his final proposal for a new permanent public artwork for the Strand Aldwych
02/12/19
Matthew has presented the final proposal for a new permanent public artwork for the Strand Aldwych's pedestrianisation scheme. The proposal Five Niches was presented to project stakeholders including Westminster, The Northbank, Somerset House, LSE and KCL. As part of the presentation Matthew installed a 1:1 projection test in the Rifle Range of Somerset House (pictured).
Shadowing Paris
Shadowing is installed in three locations on the streets of central Paris
28/11/19
Shadowing is now installed in three locations in central Paris from November 28th 2019 - January 2nd 2020. Commissioned by Théâtre du Châtelet and produced by Playable City. Further details and a map found here
Ise City Residency
Matthew has completed a two week residency in the Japanese city of Ise
25/10/19
The British Council and Ise City invited Matthew and five other UK based artists on a two week residency to the small Japanese city of Ise, famous for its collection of Shinto shrines: the Ise Jinju. The artists were immersed in the culture, philosophy, ecology, art and architecture of the city and were given privileged access to sacred spaces and activities.
Doncaster Residency
Matthew takes part in a one week research residency in Doncaster
30/09/19
Doncaster creates invited Matthew to Doncaster to explore the public spaces, heritage and contemporary issues of Doncaster. During this residency Matthew met with council members, environmental activists (including Warren Draper of Bentley Urban Farm, pictured), artists and business owners. This research residency was in anticipation of potential future projects in the area.
LCA Prize Public Vote Win
108 Steps wins the London Contemporary Art Prize Public Vote
01/09/19
108 Steps, originally installed in Macclesfield in 2018, has won the London Contemporary Art Prize's Public Vote, receiving a total of 650 votes. A 40 minute video of the work will be on display at Store Street Gallery from September 11th - October 5th 2019.
Hampton Court Palace
Five new permanent audio visual experiences open at Hampton Court Palace
01/04/19
As part of Hampton Court Palace's re-opening of the State Apartments, Matthew in collaboration with sound artist James Bulley and writer Imogen Robertson, has devised, produced and installed five new permanent audio visual experiences. For the Council Chamber (pictured) the team recreated three meetings of Henry VIII's Privy Council - projecting their hand actions onto a large central table, with their voices emanating from their corresponding chairs - allowing visitors to situate themselves within the meetings.
What is an Artist?
Matthew delivers a talk to Year 9 and 10 students at his former school St Albans in Ipswich
15/02/19
As part of the Creative Industries Conference at St Albans High School Matthew delivered a presentation to students on what an artist is and what they do, using his own particular career journey as a guide. The conference was devised to introduce students to various career paths within creatives industries, in the context of a curriculum that increasingly marginalizes creative subjects.