Emma Critchley ©

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  1. Emma Critchley is an artist who uses a combination of photography, film, sound and installation to continually explore the human relationship with the underwater environment as a political, philosophical and environmental space. She is Royal College of Art alumni and has developed works funded by organisations including The National Media Museum, Arts Council England, British Council, Singapore International Foundation, British Academy and the European Regional Development Fund. Her work has been shown extensively nationally and internationally in galleries and institutions including The Australian Centre of Photography, the ICA Singapore, The National Portrait Gallery, the Royal Academy, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and Tate St Ives.

    In 2019 she completed a short film funded by the Jerwood Charitable Foundation called ‘Common Heritage’, about the imminent threat of deep-sea mining for rare earth minerals. For this she worked with experts in deep sea ecology and law at the National Oceanography Centre and Universities of Plymouth & Southampton. ­

    In collaboration with artist Lee Berwick, Emma has developed a large-scale public soundscape about underwater acoustic pollution, working with a number of organisations including the British Antarctic Survey, the Californian Ocean Alliance and the National Maritime Museum. This had its initial installation in the Greenwich Foot Tunnel at the beginning of 2020 and they're now looking to tour.

    In 2019, Emma was the winner of the EARTH WATER SKY residency programme with Science Gallery Venice, where she has been working with the Ice Memory Project. The resulting film installation launched in the official Italian pavilion of the Venice Architecture Biennale 2021 and went on to be exhibited in partnersip with Science Gallery Venice in September.


    SELECTED EXHIBITIONS & SCREENINGS

    2022

    'Witness' 3-screen installation with live performance, Brighton Festival, Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts, Brighton, UK

    'The Bird & The Elephant', KK Chambers, hosted by TARQ Mumbai & SqwLab for The Show Windows, Coventry City of Culture, Mumbai, India

    2021

    'The Bird & The Elephant', series of outdoor screenings for Coventry City of Culture, Coventry, UK

    'Witness' 2-screen film installation, Official Italian Pavilion, Venice Architecture Biennale, Italy

    'Witness' 2-screen film installation, Sala del Camino, Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, Venice, Italy


    2020

    'The Space Below', public sound installation in the Greenwich Foot Tunnel, London, UK


    2019

    'Common Heritage', Aesthetica Film Festival, York, UK

    ‘Seismic Cities’, Orbital Dago, Bandung, Java, Indonesia

    ‘209 Women’ Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool, UK

    2018

    '209 Women', Porticulus House, Palace of Westminster, London

    'At the Violet Hour', The Nayland Rock Hotel, Margate

    'Slow violence', University of Hertfordshire, London


    2017

    'Film for Friday' screenings (August- September), Tate St Ives, Cornwall

    ‘From Selfie to Self-Expression’, Saatchi Gallery, London

    ‘Present Tense’, Phoenix Gallery, Brighton

    ‘Ocean Imaginaries’, RMIT, Melbourne, Australia

    2016

    'Then Listens to Returning Echoes', b-side Festival, Portland

    'The Water Sinks Down With Them'. Public installation commissioned by Opera North Projects The Southbank Centre, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Leeds Central Library.

    2015

    'UK/RAINE', Saatchi Gallery, London

    'Subtle Interchange', NARS Foundation, New York

    Screening of film commission 'THEY', Royal Geographic Society International Conference, University of Exeter

    ‘Work, Rest and Play: British Photography from the 1960s to Today’: The Photographers Gallery & Pin Projects Beijing. Shenzhen OCT-LOFT, China

    'When the Waters Recede: research', Plymouth Arts Centre, Plymouth

    'At the Still Point of the Turning World' solo exhibition, Cabin Gallery, London

    'In our blood' Home residency screening, Cliftonville, Margate

    2014

    ‘The Last Breath’, Clearlake Hotel, Kensington, London

    'Minutes Passing Slowly', The Regency Town House, Brighton

    'Saatchi & Google Motion Photography Prize', The Saatchi Gallery, London

    'Ludus Festival: Performance, Place, Possibility', Leeds

    'Embrace' The Wilson, Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum, Cheltenham

    2013

    'THE FUTURE CAN WAIT', Victoria House, London

    ‘Night Contact’ one night multimedia festival, Gillett Square, London

    ‘Masquerade’, White Moose Gallery, Barnstaple

    ‘On the Perimeter: The Edge of Photography’, High House, Oxon

    ‘Michelangelo Schultern. Load, force and form in sculpture & photography’, Gerhard Marcks Haus, Bremen, Germany

    'Aria', commission for HOUSE 2013 festival, Brighton

    'Suspended Moment' solo show, The Front View, Whitstable

    'Disappearing Moon', Asia House, London

    'A House of Many Windows', Collier Bristowe Gallery, London

    'Disappearing Moon', ICA Singapore, Singapore

    2012

    'Salon Art Prize', Matt Roberts Gallery & the Griffin Gallery, London, UK

    'Microcosmos', The Goodman Arts Centre, Singapore

    'DiverseCity', Singapore Art Museum & 8Q, Singapore

    'Fresh Faced & Wild Eyed', The Photographers' Gallery, London, UK

    'The World in London', an offsite exhibition presented by The Photographers Gallery, London, UK

    'Surface Tension: The Future of Water', Eyebeam Art & Technology Centre, New York, USA

    'Candid Berlin', Universität der Künste Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    'The Oriel Davies Open', The Oriel Davies Gallery, Powys, UK

    'Fragmented Utopia', Space 54, Rivington Street, London, UK

    'Skepto International Film Festival' Cagliari, Italy  (also screened in Bologna, Florence, Milan,

    Naples, Perugia, Barcelona, Sežana, Krško, Trbovlje, Madrid)

    ‘The Open West’, Gloucester Cathedral, Gloucester, UK

     

    2011

    'Saatchi Gallery & Channel 4's New Sensations' Victoria House, London, UK

    ‘Surface Tension: The Future of Water’ Dublin Science Gallery, Dublin, Ireland

    'Sustain' The Royal College of Art, London, UK

    ‘Video In Britain Today’ Bermondsey Project Space, London, UK

    ‘Anthology’ Charlie Smith Gallery, London, UK

    ‘The Royal College of Art Final Show’ The Royal College of Art, London, UK

     

    2010

    ‘Undercurrents' as part of the Brighton Photo Fringe, Fringe Focus, Brighton, UK

    'Album' as part of the Liverpool Biennial Independents, Wolstenhome Creative Space, Liverpool, UK

    'Between Two Truths' Foremans Smokehouse Gallery, London, UK

    'The Fear of Falling' Engine, London, UK

    'The Royal College of Art Interim Show' The Royal College of Art, London, UK

     

    2009

    ‘From Here’ The Brighton Photo Fringe, Moore House, Brighton, UK

    ‘The Terry O’Neill Award’ The Independent Photographers Gallery, Battle, UK

     

    2008

    ‘Contemporary Portraits’ The Photographers Gallery, London, UK

    ‘The Terry O’Neill Award’ Fulham Palace, London, UK

    ‘The Fear of Falling’ A collaboration with Sophie Lewis. Shunt Vaults, London Bridge, London, UK

     

    2006-2007

    ‘1 1=3: Collaboration in Recent British Portraiture’ The Australian Centre for Photography. Sydney, Australia

    ‘To Hold One’s Breath’ Platform. Winnipeg, Canada

     ‘1 1=3: Collaboration in Recent British Portraiture’ The City of Freemantle Festival of Photography. Freemantle, Australia

    ‘To Hold One’s Breath’ Le Mois de la Photo Festival. L’Espace F. Montreal, Canada

    Solo Exhibition Farringdon, London, UK

     

    EDUCATION

    2009-2011 The Royal College of Art. MA in Photography

    2001-2004 University of Brighton. Photography BA (HONS)

     

    AWARDS

    2015 'UK/RAINE' award: Firtash Foundation and Saatchi Gallery finalist

    2014 The Saatchi Gallery 'Motion Photography Prize' finalist

    2012 ‘The Salon Art Prize’ shortlisted

    2011 ‘Anthology’ The Charlie Smith Gallery finalist

    2011 Winner of the Royal College of Art 'RCA Sustain: Moving Minds' award

    2011 The Saatchi Gallery and Channel 4's 'New Sensations' finalist

    2009 Nominated for KLM Paul Huf Award

    2008 The Terry O’Neill Award shortlist

    2008 AOP Assistants Awards shortlist

    2008 The British Underwater Image Festival: Winner of Best Image in Show

    2005 The Joan Wakelin Award Finalist (Awarded by The Guardian & RPS)

    2004 Schweppes Photographic Portrait Prize finalist

    2004 Winner of Lynn Cohen Stroud House Gallery Award

    2004 Winner of AOP Student Photographer of the Year Award

    2004 Winner of Burt Brill & Cardens Graduate Show Awards

    2004 Nagoya University Japan Graduate Show Awards: 2nd Prize

     

    COMMISSIONS/BURSARIES

    2016 Opera North film commission

    2016 B-Side Festival commission

    2015 Arts Council R&D: When the Waters Recede

    2015 Film commission: Exeter University & ESRC

    2014 Home in Cliftonville, Margate

    2013 Commission for HOUSE 2013

    2011 Commission from The Photographers Gallery

    2010 Leverhulme Trust Bursary

    2009 Lambeth Arts Community Photography Project

    2008 The National Media Museum Photography Bursary

    2008 The Arts Council England: ‘The Fear of Falling’

    2006 The Commonwealth Broadcasting Association: ‘Myanmar’s Sea Gypsies’

     

    RESIDENCIES

    2016 Fresh Milk residency, Barbados

    2015 NARS Foundation residency, New York

    2015 Floodtide, UK

    2014 Home in Cliftonville, Margate

    2014 National Trust Bucks Mills Residency

    2012 AIRX Residency Singapore

    2012 The Meantime Project Space Residency

     

    COLLECTIONS

    Mark Clannachan

    The Royal College of Art

    The National Media Museum