Sam Heywood – Cloud People

2 minute read

 

Sam Heywood – Disaffected

The pieces are called ‘Cloud People’. When we look at clouds we interpret their shapes constantly changing into new ones before our eyes. Clouds are ethereal, transient and beautiful – just like the emotional sensitivities of humans.

The project came about during another piece of work I was making about climate change and mass extinction. I was working around artefacts such as Assyrian sculptures and linking future, past and present civilisations. The work was very controlled, difficult and precise.

At this time I had met someone – I’ve been single for several years. We really liked each other and I think we both hoped we might get together but communicating was becoming a real struggle as he is bipolar and I’m ‘on the spectrum’.

I was getting upset about this as it was not working at all. I didn’t think it was helping him much either. During an hour break from my very precise work, I grabbed some clay and just started to make something. What came out of that was the first male and female figures in this series. When I looked at them I could see that it was expressing something about what had been going on between us.

I carried on making more figures in this very instant and emotional way and then after I could name what feeling the pieces were conveying and it was very cathartic for me to exit my emotions and psyche into the work. So when I name the pieces I’m putting a close as possible moniker to them regarding what I think I’ve expressed.

Whatever I’m feeling at the time will come out in the work as it’s very instant and completely linked to my subconscious state. It’s also very therapeutic to work like this as you can imagine – not only through the tactile sensations of working with the soft pliable clay but through the instantaneous results we can obtain, fortunately, through this medium.

Find Sam here: samheywood.com

#17 – The Mind – Contributors