Charlie Birtles makes to explore the value and meaning of unsung objects and to encourage others to think. Her influences come from miscellanea; objects that exist in archives from past lives. She engages with everyday materials to form an honest response, making things with her own hands. Charlie says, “My construction processes, often informed by traditional making methods, are meticulous and repetitive allowing me time to create organically.”
Charlie makes both sequential pieces that are displayed as a landscape, suited to exhibition display, as well as one-off large-scale pieces for interior and exterior environments. She is fluid in her approach, meaning she adapts her processes to each project brief and her clients’ needs, to produce an authentic response. All of her work is made to commission. For ‘Green Light’, Charlie will exhibit a new statement piece made from the plastic waste products of industry. Her aim is to create an impactful artwork that can transform the sense of an environment through its texture and scale, whilst conveying a deeper meaning about consumer waste.
Charlie graduated in 2015 after studying Three-Dimensional Design at Manchester School of Art. Since then, she has exhibited in galleries and shows across the country, receiving accolades from selection panels as ‘One to Watch’. She was selected by the Crafts Council for their prestigious development programme ‘Hothouse’ in 2017 and has since gone on to become part of UK Young Artists ‘Cultural Leadership Programme’. Charlie develops new works in her studio in Cheshire, while continuing to reside in Manchester.