Professional Practice - Tom Hackett

               

Tom Hackett's work involves collected conversations which are translated into text and atmospheric audio tracks that surround his sculptural creations, often using multiples of intriguing forms such as jelly shoes, silicone dogs and large colourful heads. Though his career has had ups and downs, there is a lot to learn from his creative journey. Something I took away from Tom's talk is that there is no harm in applying to loads of exhibitions because it gives you a bigger chance at having your work shown and you can't lose anything by being rejected. I also learnt how important it is to network and get to know lots of people in the art world, because you are exposed to more opportunities, which is what helped Tom get his work printed in The Guardian.

What I like about Tom Hackett's work is that it's incredibly thoughtful and emotive, but it still has a playful aesthetic, particularly with his use of vibrant colours and wavy, distorted text. I really enjoyed looking through Tom's 'Conversation Piece' newspaper, the graphic elements with blocks of colour, silhouetted motifs and different fonts made it really engaging to read and gave personality to the out-of-context quotes from the people of Corby, Nottingham and Lincoln. I'm really interested in having my work copied onto newsprint because the colours and texture come out really nicely and I can see myself doing a newspaper style thing in the future. I also think it's a bold move to go out in the world as an artist and invite strangers to talk to you, especially while wearing a bright pink suit - I would worry about verbal abuse or people making mean judgements, but that doesn't seem to bother Tom, and he got some really interesting quotes out of it that might not be as effective if they were from people he already knew, because the tone of the conversation would be different.

In my work I'm interested in using multiples as a way of elevating the ordinary, and looking at Tom's work gave me an idea of how this looks in an exhibition space, and I think they are really effective because seeing something in a large number changes the dynamic and makes you think about your relationship with everyday objects that you wouldn't normally pay any attention to.