Tom Harrup
Tom Harrup is usually found fabricating artwork for other artists, or building functional studio objects in steel. He has always made things, ever since the tiny mud villages of his childhood. Although currently taking a break from his own productions, he never stops making or remaking things, often prosaic everyday stuff, but sometimes a series of electric guitars, sometimes props and effects for a film, or sometimes restoring his family’s big old Art-Deco house.
Tom would have earlier stated that his work was ‘concerned with the incremental progress of repetitious actions, of concealed forms, vernacular and non-human architecture, journeys to marginal places, and contorted observations based on urban existence.’ He still likes the sound of this, and wonders if this is a good explanation of what he would do now.
Tom Harrup graduated in 2010 from the Master of Fine Art (MFA) course at the Glasgow School of Art, after which he moved his practice to Glasgow Sculpture Studios. He was previously employed as Technician at both the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff. As a self-employed Artist Technician he has worked for several Glasgow-based and some international galleries, and has fabricated sculpture for artists such as David Shrigley, Sara Barker, Nathan Coley, Corin Sworn and Laura Aldridge. He has installed exhibitions for The Common Guild, Scotland and Venice, Glasgow International and various local artists. Tom worked as Assistant Director and Director of Photography for the production of Deniz Üster’s film Beyond is Before, and latterly as Director of Photography and Set Designer for her collaborative work The Polity of Phi, yet his favourite productions by far are his children, Olive and Dune.