Nicola Atkinson is an internationally acclaimed multi-disciplinary artist and designer whose career has been influenced by time spent on the West Coast of America, in Sweden and living in Glasgow. Her dazzling public artwork specialises in place-making, social cohesion and community engagement and is displayed in museums and landscapes across Scotland, the USA, Cuba, Iceland and Europe.
She is the founder of the participatory art and design studios NADFLY (2003 - 2020) and Beautiful Materials Design Studio (2018 - ongoing)
Her practice is organic and generative, specialising in place making, social cohesion and community engagement, with a commitment to the delivery of well-conceived and durable artworks that inspire and prompt actions, interactions and reactions.
These interventions have been both large and intimate in scale and have influenced behaviour, changed community identities and formed active relationships with the built environment.
Her company Beautiful Materials Design Studio have exhibited at 17th Venice Architecture Biennale , V&A Dundee 2021. You can hear her talk on “Art Came in the Night”; a documentary on public art for BBC Radio 4 2022, presented by artist Kevin Harman. A recent example of her public artwork is The Memory Tree, 2023, at Aberdeen Union Terrace Gardens. A memorial crafted in Scotland using high-grade stainless steel.
In the subsequent years, she has turned her attention to this new way of working, zero waste approach to pattern cutting. Building up an impressive body of work using sumptuous and colourful painting materials, opulent Velvet & translucent Georgette fabrics, creating living artworks on wearable pieces and impressive wall hangings.
Her current studio is the empty Marks & Spencer shop in Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow.
Clients have included museums, hospitals, architects, third sector and local authorities from across Scotland and internationally. She has had numerous exhibitions in international venues including Long Beach Museum of Art, CA, USA, Tramway and The Lighthouse, Glasgow, Scotland, Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales, Havana, Cuba, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands, The Museum of Modern Art, NY, USA and the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, UK.
The practice is organic and generative, specialising in place making, social cohesion and community engagement, with a commitment to the delivery of well-conceived and durable artworks that inspire and prompt actions, interactions and reactions. Delivering over 34 wayfinding and transformative social engagement projects for 8 local authorities in Scotland over the past decade, with a variety of communities ranging from ten people to ten thousand. Receiving funding from Sustrans, Paths for All, the Scottish Government and Transport Scotland and the National Lottery.
Nicola Atkinson is an internationally acclaimed multi-disciplinary artist and designer whose career has been influenced by time spent on the West Coast of America, in Sweden and living in Glasgow and her company Beautiful Materials Design Studio has established itself as a practice at the forefront of creative community engagement and the delivery of artworks developed through true participation.
Cultivating a sense of belonging & community through establishing uniquely creative ways for people to come together and participate is at the heart of everything we do. Never has this been more important than as it is now.
Clients have included museums, hospitals, architects, third sector and local authorities from across Scotland and internationally. Nicola Atkinson artist & founder has had numerous exhibitions in international venues including Long Beach Museum of Art, CA, USA, Tramway and The Lighthouse, Glasgow, Scotland, Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales, Havana, Cuba, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands, The Museum of Modern Art, NY, USA and the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, UK.
Placemaking is at the heart of our transformative process towards wellbeing and the connection between people and places. We develop inventive and imaginative strategies to establish sustainable infrastructures to support the rural and suburban areas. Engagement is at the core of every project and only through authentic consideration of a community’s needs and identity can it be developed and supported.
When you work with us you will discover new exciting new ideas. Our practice loves to carefully research beautiful designs and inspired solutions.
Nicola Atkinson is experienced in every aspect of the built environment, landscape design, architectural design and an understanding of contemporary public arts practice and placemaking.
At its core, Beautiful Materials Design Studio is a maker studio, which creates in mediums such as ceramics, metalworks, canvas, fabric, wood, paper, vinyl, hardscape, paint, ink, glass, found objects assemblage, film making, sound & music. We understand budgets, schedules and work within the timeline set by the client, providing seamless project management and on-site supervision. In safe hands, we deliver the project from concept to proposal and from construction to installation and delivery.
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