Visiting Artist’s Talk – Oliver Getley

For this week’s Visiting Artist’s Talk at the University of Leeds we welcome Oliver Getley, an interdisciplinary artist based in Leeds.

Oliver Getley is interested in artist-led and DIY activity as a politicised approach to culture-making and exploring alternative learning methods.

His practice is concept and research driven, often working project-to-project to explore experimental and emergent creative approaches which span a variety of themes and production methods, including sound, sculpture, installation, performativity, collaboration, site-responsive action and exhibition-making.

A recurrent interest of his work has been the creation of performative gestures and devices which evoke ideas around reverse engineering and technological imaginaries. 

‘Site Built’, 2022-23, was an 18-month project culminating in an exhibition at Blank in 2023. The exhibition was a kinetic sculptural installation, made from deconstructed washing machine parts which were automated with self-built circuitry. Initially the ‘sound-devices’ were developed through workshops with Music Performance students; independently developed thereafter into kinetic sculptures. At its heart, ‘Site Built’ was a project to re-physicalise the contentious location of Mabgate through its own material.

Oliver graduated in BA Fine Art from the University of Leeds in 2018 and is one of a number of artists undertaking a twelve-month AA2A placement in the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies.

About the Visiting Artists’ Talks series

The Visiting Artist’s Talk (VAT) series hosts talks by an exciting range of arts practitioners from around the world every Monday afternoon 2–4pm during teaching weeks.

All of our talks are compulsory for our Fine Art students but are also open to anyone else who would like to join us.

The venue for this week’s talk is Chemistry Lecture Theatre B at the University of Leeds.