Brian Thompson is Associate Dean and Professor of Sculpture at The University of Sunderland. He graduated from The University of Newcastle in 1975 with an MFA. He has been awarded numerous prizes including: the Pernod prize and the Peter Stuyvesant Art prize. His work has been seen through exhibitions, collections and lectures in Europe, USA and Asia including; The Condition of Sculpture, Hayward Gallery London; The Paris Biennale; The British Art Show; Sculpture Trails Museum, Indiana; Museum of Steel Sculpture Ironbridge, House of the Artist Moscow and the Guandong Museum of Art, China. He was a pioneer of practice-based doctorates in Art & Design being director of studies of one of the first PhD completions in Sculpture in 1992. He is a founder member of the University of Sunderland’s W
more...Brian Thompson is Associate Dean and Professor of Sculpture at The University of Sunderland. He graduated from The University of Newcastle in 1975 with an MFA. He has been awarded numerous prizes including: the Pernod prize and the Peter Stuyvesant Art prize. His work has been seen through exhibitions, collections and lectures in Europe, USA and Asia including; The Condition of Sculpture, Hayward Gallery London; The Paris Biennale; The British Art Show; Sculpture Trails Museum, Indiana; Museum of Steel Sculpture Ironbridge, House of the Artist Moscow and the Guandong Museum of Art, China. He was a pioneer of practice-based doctorates in Art & Design being director of studies of one of the first PhD completions in Sculpture in 1992. He is a founder member of the University of Sunderland’s Walking, Art, Landskip and Knowledge (W.A.L.K.) research group.
Professor Thompson’s research is studio based and is focussed upon “journeys” and how these are mapped, recorded and valued. His practice brings together two themes; a physical engagement with landscape, often through walking, with invention in the manufacture and craft of sculpture. He is interested in how journeys inspire and explore landscapes, man-made or otherwise; how paths get worn, compress and build up over many generations. These journeys show the topography of the world, reveal something of its history and give insights into how we come to know and navigate our world. A significant part of the development of the sculptural work is the approach to form and the considered use of materials. Sometimes these become ‘patterns’ for casting or constructions in materials relevant to the location; such as wood, paper, iron, glass, bronze, stone or lead. The sculptures serve as records, memories, souvenirs or trophies. He is a founder member of the University of Sunderland’s Walking, Art, Landskip and Knowledge (W.A.L.K.) research group.
