Richard Paton
Richard Paton is a prominent British sculptor who is an expert in the phenomenon of cosmic magnetism. His work employs metaphorical language derived from invisible forces, connections, and disconnections in the earth's magnetic fields. In his art, Richard Paton reinvents the compass, using materials such as ferro liquid to demonstrate the interplay between art and science, as well as the inherent duality in this discipline.
If you are interested in Richard’s artwork, please visit his website or contact him at richard@richardpaton.com .
About
Richard Paton works in the United Kingdom and has a studio in London. He is the director of Rainbow Glass Studios, established in 2001. Glass Studios restore damaged glass according to the United Kingdom Institute of Conservation guidelines. Techniques such as engraving and fusing glass, enamel, acid etch, and sandblast provide an underlying foundation for his artwork. Richard was a finalist in the National Sculpture Prize at Broomhill Estate Sculpture Gardens in Devon, he is also a member of the Royal Society of sculptures. Mr. Paton holds a master’s at Central Saint Martins in Arts and Science, with various solo and group exhibitions at prominent local British galleries including The London Group, Offshoot gallery, Counterbalance, and Ingenious.
Melt, solid glass, fused and illuminated from below, turbines, 180cm x 200 cm, 2020.
Richard Paton's two primary sources of inspiration are the magnetic field emitted by the Northern Lights and the theory of electromagnetism. He combines theories of quantum mechanics, cognitive science and various magnetic forces which emanate on cosmic and quantum scales. The artist’s scientific research concluded that humans do not have the sense of magneto-reception and are therefore disconnected from the earth’s magnetic field. All other animals studied so far have demonstrated this sense of the earth’s magnetic field. Therefore, Richard Paton believes this alludes to a grander metaphor for humanity’s disconnection to the natural world. His artwork incorporates elements of this natural world and the forces at play beyond our daily experience. The magneto reception within his sculptures explores the extent to which magnetic fields can be a metaphorical canvas for new artistic perspectives.
The second concept within his work is the discourse of digital technology. The binary world of digital communication is based on the foundations of early discoveries, including satellite technology which is changing our perception of the earth. Technologies have moved us away from a reliance on the magnetic field for navigation to a screen-based reliance on data gathering by large institutions. He draws inspiration from Heidegger, who asks if it would ever be possible to see ourselves as post-technological, something we will always have to contend with by being unable to function without it. Algorithmic data software sets new parameters in a virtual playing field of mind control or ‘eyeballs’ as advertisers once called it, when surfing the internet. Recurring themes such as the natural environment and magnetism permeate many of his artworks.
Madonna and Shopping Trolley, shopping trolley, dimensions vary, St Augustine, Highgate, 1999
In Richard Paton’s recent artwork Lark Descending, the artist used the magnetic fields of a neodymium magnet in a kinetic, electronically interactive, sculpture to look at the decline of the Skylark bird population in Britain from 1967 to the present day. The presence of the viewer triggers the waning song of the Skylark, and the motion of the bird is held in space by the gap of a force field as it descends through a graph illustrating its population decline. Richard Paton’s artwork not only incorporates Lodestone and the history of magnetism which was a navigation tool first used by the Chinese Emperor Hoang-ti in 2700 B.C, also Pythagoras’s theory of cosmic harmony using music that is paralleled with the rotation of stars and planets which elevates his audience into a higher musical sphere. His artwork is a metaphor, which bridges the gap between the physical world and our consciousness. It explores the mind and body duality whilst framing the mysteries of magnetism within its wide and all-encompassing effects. Richard looks at the theory of magnetism ontologically, as an object in its own right.
