Bryony Koester

I am a local girl who moved to a big city to escape the island’s claustrophobic environment (culturally, socially, and artistically).  I have spent the first year of my studies trying to find something new and exciting to work with, trying to push my own boundaries and discover something to base my practice around.  You would think in such a thriving city like Brighton  that something would grab me and fling me into some interesting unknown realm and forge me a new identity. But in my first year the only honest piece of work was a video piece of my new flat inspired by Gaston Bachelard’s Poetics of Space.  It consisted of single shots taken of my kitchen all day for 5 days, on a three minute interval.  The result was a piece which captured instances, slowing time down, creating a reflective space in which the audience could take a moment to appreciate how light falls at different times of the day. 

I have slowly come to realise that what should be my inspiration is where I come from as it is a quintessential part of who I am.  So in my second year at the University of Brighton, my practice has been based around Jersey, looking into the island’s history, folklore, language and its state today.  Of course, with the case of Haute de la Garenne, a new approach was given to my work, not by myself, but by those looking at it.  Because it was such a media sensation, anything about Jersey could not escape it, so I felt I was under pressure to defend my work and my island.  Questions from those outside of the island led me to realise that I knew very little about Jersey, as it is not taught at school.  So I have spent much of my time researching The Rock’s history and culture and this has given me a new confidence to explore my island with my work. 

I like to tackle many different issues, from politics to folklore, in different ways, including glass engraving, sculpture and installation.  Sometimes I deliberately create a ‘twee’ feel with the work; I find it an interesting juxtaposition between sometimes difficult content or subject and its aesthetic appeal.  I have grown up with Jersey art being watercolours of castles and sunny beaches, and I like to reflect that picture postcard idea in my work.  I’d like to think that my work works on different levels, from aesthetic to political, because that is what interests and inspires me about The Rock. It has such a beautiful facade, yet it lurking beneath is something much more sinister and ugly.