“The islands get embedded in your visual memory.”
– Aragorn Dick-Read, British Virgin Islands artist.
Richard Georges: What does a typical day working on a piece look like for you?
Aragorn Dick-Read: Finally getting to my studio is a moment of joy to free myself from the daily pressures of running a couple of business. When working on a sculpture I grab some head space to get lost in the creative process and reclaim some sanity from the abyss. Sometimes it is only an hour or two a day…but it helps and makes it happen.
RG: You have mentioned in the past that you are drawn to metal as a medium because of its “permanence, brilliance, and allure.” Could you speak a bit more to that as well as the practical considerations that come with metalwork?
ADR: Metal has all of those attributes for sure, and in that sense it is a wonderful material to create art from. Humans cherish metal, and by working magic and art into it we bond with it. Once worked it can hold visual information and knowledge for thousands of years. The decay process of some metals is part of its beauty. The patina of aged copper is a soothing, calming beauty, like the color of our sea. The rust of iron, though not totally permanent in our climate, speaks of strength and utility. It holds my images and designs well in the face of the fire.
RG: I know you have traveled extensively, notably in 2011 to build the biggest fireball sculpture in Changchun, China. What was that experience like?
ADR: Traveling for an artist is like being a sponge in water. I absorb so much of my surroundings when I am traveling I cannot find enough ways to get it all out when I come home, but it comes out bit by bit in my work over time. The China experience I had was very profound and I learned a lot about the power of creativity as well as its importance as a stimulus and method for social change. Whilst in China I met with hundreds of other artists from all over the world which gave me incredible linkage to many other cultures that I had not experienced before.
RG: In your experience what role does the artist play in society?
ADR: We reveal the unseen, we share messages that words cannot, we deliver symbols through the ages, we inspire hope, we offer beauty, we please, we tease, we transport people into parts of their minds where they can’t go alone, we are a problem for corrupt power, we make wealth by magic, we sooth, we disturb, we cherish nature, harness it’s power, transform it and create culture.
RG: When you have been commissioned to complete sculptures, is that work substantively different the work you initiate yourself?
ADR: No, I use material and ideas I have accumulated for my self and am glad to share them with clients. The subjects quite often are befitting to the client, but the style and energy will always be mine.
RG: How has your practice or method evolved over the years?
ADR: Surprisingly little in many ways. I draw relentlessly and have 30 years of sketchbooks which I consider my bank; I draw my ideas from them when I need to. I have found a friend in metal, and have learned to use it many different ways; it is hard work, but still rewarding for the reasons I mentioned before. I also love print as a medium and have kept it by my side as an income generator, though I do not print enough these days. Clay is my first love and I still love to work with it when I can; it is primal and permanent. Wood is a reliable companion and will always be a magical material for me….especially our Virgin Islands Lignum Vitae. I wish I could learn to paint better than I do, and I hope to give color the respect it is due in the future.
RG: Lastly, I see you have been in talks with underwater sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor to construct underwater sculpture parks in the BVI, what kind of project are you envisioning and what sort of impact are you hoping to see?
ADR: The Virgin Islands need to embrace all art forms in more depth; our culture needs more visibility and to be publicly represented, both for us to identity ourselves, and for our visitor to be able to interpret us. The idea of an underwater sculpture park is a very attractive way of displaying works of art. Though being underwater makes it challenge for all to see, it can bring people into another, crucial element in our lives. Seeking and finding art underwater is also very appealing to our visitors who spend a lot of time on and under our sea.
Sculpture parks and public art spaces are sorely needed in the Virgin Islands to help us heal social stress and share focal points of our collective spirit. The act of creativity and its consequences are like a medicine to the minds and souls of society. The more Virgin Islands people embrace the power of the arts to talk our own story in word, music, poetry, paint, clay,
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Aragorn Dick-Read was born in Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands in 1966. A European education introduced him to many artistic techniques such as pottery, print making, design and metal work. He complimented his studies with a degree in Art History, specializing in Tribal and Twentieth century art, architecture and design. Aragorn’s art work has been exhibited in London (St Martins in the Fields and Smiths gallery, Covent garden), New York (Cast Iron gallery, Soho), St Barths (Bank of Baghdad), Antigua (Harmony Hall), and Tortola, BVI. His work is regularly commissioned by private collectors and public institutions. More of his work can be seen at www.aragornbvi.com.