Biography

ButNotAsWeKnowIt is the online presence of the UK artist Ben Yates.

Since 2005 I have steered clear of what we have come to recognise as the classical artforms – painting, drawing and sculpture – and instead focused on combining different practices into new and unexpected artforms. Photo-Cubism is the combination of photography and sculpture; the Electri-Cities are found object sculptures contained inside furniture – a combination of the fine and applied arts. Recycled materials feature heavily in my work as well as geometry and counter-culture.

Photo-Cubism

Photo-Cubism brings the 2-dimension medium of photography into 3-dimensions. The solid structure behind the print accentuates or mirrors the shape of the subject creating optical illusions and changing appearance from different angles. It is also a method of displaying a variety of small pictures in one artwork, gelling them together in an abstract colour study from a distance, but up close is an almost infinite amount of detail and can tell a very personal story.

Most of the Photo-Cubism I produce are hand built using individually cut blocks, either made from solid pine or much lighter high-density polyurethane depending on the size of the resulting piece. Being completely modular these artworks can be any size or shape. I do also have a ‘budget’ range of moulded pieces where the prints, still arranged by hand, but over a pre-made (but unique to me) vacuum-formed plastic shape, of which there are medium and large versions.

Electri-Cities

The Electri-City is simply a sculpture of a cityscape made from recycled printed circuit boards and other electronic components, all contained inside an acrylic and glass coffee table. All shapes and sizes are possible. These tables can include functional elements – they can feature interactive lighting, LCD displays, sound systems and more.

These conjure an image of a future society built from what we throw away. Equal measures utopian and dystopian, the ‘Electri-Cities’ remain a feast for the eyes and the mind.

Jewellery

In more recent years I have taken to making smaller artworks. I make necklaces, rings, brooches, cuff links and key rings, in media such as colouring pencils, recycled circuit boards or hardwood and resin. These are available in my Etsy shop, click here to be redirected.

Other Projects

Every so often I get the urge to do something a little further out of the ordinary, projects which don’t neatly fit into my existing brands, so here they have their ‘miscellaneous’ drawer.