Kirsty Mitchell (artist) explained

Kirsty Mitchell
Nationality:British
Occupation:Artist
Known For:Fine art photography
Notable Works:The Wonderland Series

Kirsty Linsel Mitchell (born 7 May 1976) is a British fine art photographer who creates theatrical staged scenes as the subject of her works. She draws upon her past experience in fashion and costume design to hand craft the costumes, props and sets. She is known for her series Wonderland and is the author of its accompanying book. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Early life and education

Mitchell began her higher education at the age of 16 studying History of Art, Fine Art, and Photography. At 19 she specialised in 'Costume for Performance'; at the London College of Fashion, gaining a Higher National Diploma with Distinction. She continued her studies for a further three years at Ravensbourne College of Art, graduating in 2001 with a First Class Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honours in Fashion Design and Textiles.[5]

Between the years 1999 and 2001, Mitchell interned at the London studios of British Avant Garde Designers Alexander McQueen and Hussein Chalayan. For the next decade Mitchell worked as a fashion designer specialising in surface decoration and fabric manipulation, spending time in India and China, learning the crafts of beading and embroidery.[6] [7]

In 2008, her mother Maureen Mitchell was diagnosed with a brain tumour. It was during this time, at the age of 32, that Mitchell recalls “the situation was such a trauma… my only way of dealing with it was through the camera”. Her mother’s death in November 2008 became the turning point in Mitchell’s life, leading her to become a full-time artist and producing her series 'Wonderland'.[8]

Work

Wonderland

Wonderland is a collection of 74 photographs by Mitchell, created in memory of her mother Maureen Mitchell, who was an English teacher with a passion for storytelling.[9] Mitchell describes the photographs as meditations on the stories and illustrations from the fairy tales her mother read to her as a child, mixed with her adult grief and spiritual connection with nature. The series took five years to produce and was completed at the end of 2014.

Throughout the development of the series Mitchell published a personal journal (the ‘Wonderland Diaries’) which documents the lengthy process behind her creation of each photograph, the costumes and props, as well as her emotional reactions to her bereavement.[10]

The Wonderland Book

The Wonderland Book includes all 74 artworks from the Wonderland collection. It also presents Mitchell’s journal which features the documentary images of the shoots, costumes and props.

Driven by the need to create a book beautiful enough to commemorate her late mother, Mitchell collaborated with the British designer Stuart Smith, and launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter on 9 September 2015.

The campaign raised over £334k in 28 days and became the highest grossing photobook ever on Kickstarter, a record it still holds. The 1st and 2nd editions of the book have since sold out and it is now in its 3rd edition, which received the 'Silver' award at the Budapest International Foto Awards in 2022.[11]

Quiescence

In 2019 Mitchell began shooting her new series Quiescence which is based on events in her life between 2015 and 2017, during which time she became pregnant with her only child Finch, and eight months later was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Mitchell draws a parallel with her process for Wonderland, by once again translating painful real life experiences into a narrative. However, she describes the production level as a far greater undertaking than her earlier work, with fine art films being made of each scene, and some of the sets taking a full year to make.

She remains in remission and lives and works in the English countryside with her husband Matthew and their young son.

Awards and accolades

Exhibitions

Publications

External links

Notes and References

  1. Kirsty Mitchell - Creating Her Wonderland. Flux. 9. Internet Archive.
  2. Web site: February 2016 . "Through the Looking Glass" - The Royal Photographic Society (Volume 156) . 2024-09-28 . archive.rps.org.
  3. Web site: 2018-12-06 . Kirsty Mitchell Fotografiska Museum Stockholm . 2024-09-28 . stockholm.fotografiska.com . en.
  4. Web site: Wonderland: Photographs by Kirsty Mitchell . 2024-09-28 . Museum of Art - DeLand . en-US.
  5. News: Sawa . Dale Berning . Sawa . Interview by Dale Berning . 2019-03-14 . Kirsty Mitchell's best photograph: a storyteller in a bluebell wonderland . 2024-09-28 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  6. Web site: Sritharan . Brennavan . The dreamlike fairytales of Kirsty Mitchell - 1854 Photography . 2024-09-28 . www.1854.photography . en-GB.
  7. Web site: 2012-05-18 . Photographer's Magical Tribute To Her Mother . 2024-09-28 . HuffPost UK . en.
  8. Web site: Komar . Marlen . 2019-01-21 . This woman's home-made 'Wonderland' is a real-life fairy tale . 2024-10-09 . CNN . en.
  9. Web site: Rodrigues Stumpo . Joana . 17 May 2022 . Wonderland, article in Vogue (Portugal) . 2024-09-28 . www.vogue.pt .
  10. Wonderland by Kirsty Mitchell. Photographize. 3. 2023.
  11. Web site: Silver Winner - Wonderland . 2024-09-28 . budapestfotoawards.com . en-US.
  12. Web site: Bronze Winner - Wonderland . 2024-09-28 . budapestfotoawards.com . en-US.
  13. Web site: Fine Art: Conceptual - 3rd place bronze star award - Kirsty Mitchell (United Kingdom) . 2024-09-28 . ndawards.net . en.
  14. Web site: People: Portrait - honorable mention - Kirsty Mitchell (United Kingdom) . 2024-09-28 . ndawards.net . en.
  15. Web site: IPA 2016 Winner / The Wonderland Book / Kirsty Mitchell Photography / Kirsty Mitchell . 2024-09-28 . photoawards.com.
  16. Web site: Sambrook . Lucy . 2015-09-14 . Photographer honors mother through most amazing conceptual photography portraits . 2024-09-28 . Metro . en.
  17. Web site: LensCulture . LensCulture Visual Storytelling Awards 2014 . 2024-09-28 . LensCulture . en.
  18. Web site: LensCulture . Kirsty Mitchell . Wonderland - Photographs and text by Kirsty Mitchell . 2024-09-28 . LensCulture . en.
  19. Web site: Shortlist in Photography, Finalists in Photography / The Secret Locked In The Roots Of A Kingdom . 2024-09-28 . LICC . en-US.
  20. Web site: 14 Aug 2013 . Nikon Nation Kirsty Mitchell Interview . ePHOTOzine.
  21. Web site: The National: Best Contemporary Photography 2015 . 2024-09-28 . FWMoA . en.
  22. Web site: Fairy Tale Fashion . 2024-09-28 . www.fitnyc.edu . en.
  23. Web site: Mitchell . Timothy . 2016-01-09 . This stylish exhibit shows you really can dress like a princess . 2024-09-28 . en-US.
  24. Web site: Wonderland: Photographs by Kirsty Mitchell . 2024-09-28 . Paine Art Center and Gardens . en.
  25. Web site: Wonderland: Photographs by Kirsty Mitchell . 2024-09-28 . FWMoA . en.
  26. Web site: Barnes . Sara . 2019-02-25 . Interview: Kirsty Mitchell's Multi-Sensory "Wonderland" Is Unlike Any Other Photo Exhibit . 2024-09-28 . My Modern Met . en.
  27. Web site: ERR . 2019-09-13 . Galerii: Fotografiskas avati Kirsty Mitchelli näitus "Imedemaa" . 2024-09-28 . ERR . et.

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