Programme 3: Iain Kettles and Susie Hunter – 3D inflatable sculptures

Background Information

Born in 1962, Iain Kettles grew up in Glasgow. Susie Hunter was born in 1967 and grew up in the borders. Both were artistic as children. Iain and Susie always wanted to be artists. They met at art school on Iain’s 21st birthday, Susie studied jewellery while Iain studied environmental art. They were not in the same year, which made it easier to help each other with their work. After graduating, their art evolved into one practice, without any dramatic changes from their original work. Eleven years after graduating from Glasgow Art School, Susie still finds it strange calling herself an artist. Iain is more comfortable with the title, mainly because of his job as gallery manager at The Tramway in Glasgow.

The idea to create inflatable sculpture developed by combining both design and fine art practice. They both think in 3D. Their work is made to fit a space that is often determined by the location in which it will be presented. They always felt slightly constricted and frustrated by creating work on a relatively small scale and liked the idea of creating more dramatic effects. Iain once created a large cardboard structure that he was really proud of and was disappointed to have to dismantle it at the end of the display as there was nowhere to store it. They developed the idea of creating large, striking structures that could be folded away, or transported in a suitcase. The nature of their work allows them to change their minds as they are not permanent structures.

Iain and Susie’s work is completely unique. There are no other artists that you can associate their work with. There is no one single piece of art that has inspired them. They enjoy a variety of different work including interior, product and fashion design. They enjoy the work of Javier Mariscal who created Cobi, the mascot of the Barcelona Olympic Games, and Claus Oldenburg, the popular exponent of pop art. Oldenburg’s sculptures emphasise the visual and spatial relationships of everyday objects, allowing people to connect with them. Ideas and inspiration also come from everyday life. Watching the television – especially the adverts – going to the shops and reading magazines, always being aware of what surrounds them.

Iain and Susie exhibit their work at home and abroad. They have had six solo exhibitions to date including: ‘Space Invader’ at Tramway & Union Place, Glasgow 1999, ‘Skore Skyer’ at the Kunsthallen Brandts Klaedefabrik, Odense 2001 and their current exhibition, ‘Airspace’ at the Nikolaj, Copenhagen. They have also undertaken a variety of commissions, including: playground designs for Auchterarder Community School, furniture proposals for Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride, Rugby Ball, Murrayfield Stadium, the Stirling Millennium Falls Project, the Design Capsule in Glasgow in 1999 and Zoo Architects.