Michelle McKinney
Michelle McKinney works with exceptionally fine woven metals, including stainless steel and brass. The unusual translucency of these materials brings a very ethereal quality to her work. Her artwork is inspired by the space between opposites; Her choice of subject matter deliberately contrasts with the materials used in her work. The movement of hundreds of delicate butterfly wings or falling leaves are depicted in materials renowned for their strength and durability. This preoccupation with opposites, movement captured in stillness; the fragility and ephemerality of nature captured in the strength and permanence of industrial, man-made material is ever present in Michelle’s work. “My work is constantly inspired by the elegance and fragility of the natural world.” After receiving a bachelor’s degree in jewellery design and silversmithing from Birmingham School of Jewellery, she quickly realized that her artistic practice was leading her to create work on a much larger scale. Each tiny piece of metal is hand cut and manipulated, layer by layer, to create a very unique multi dimensional work. Whilst utilising timeless symbols found in nature such as birds, leaves and butterflies, the methods and media used are innovative applications of contemporary industrial materials. This play between the timeless and the immediate is at the heart of Michelle’s work. Michelle McKinney has created artworks for a number of high-profile institutions, including The British Council, The Crafts Council, and The Royal Albert Memorial Museum. Most recently, Michelle McKinney collaborated with designer Issey Miyake.