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Michael Dan Archer is a British sculptor working in the UK and internationally in the field of public art and on gallery and site specific projects.

Statement

‘My sculptures primarily invoke the massiveness and physicality of stone and its relationship to architecture, humanity and landscape. Architectural forms such as portals, obelisks and towers play a central role in my sculptural exploration. The architectural references have extended into avenues and processional space in my most recent work; the installation of 108 granite pillars interacting with the landscape of a mound by the sea in Portishead. The portals deal with zones of transformation. The transformation implied can be from one state of consciousness to another; rising out of a dream for example or can be a powerful symbol for regeneration. The obelisks and towers explore the urge to build monumental structures and relate strongly to both archaeology and architecture.’

Work in the public realm.

Archer has worked with commissioning agencies such as CBAT, Commissions East, Beam (Public Arts, Wakefield), numerous local authorities, major developers and multi-national companies

Many of his recent works have been large scale public commissions. In recent years he has completed numerous gateway works for important public sites, and other major sculptures ranging from 8.5 metre high granite obelisks to wall mounted neon forms, marble works with light projection and sculptures exploring specific historical or archaeological contexts. His most extensive work, to date, completed in 2008, was a sculpture dedicated to seafarers. This comprised an installation of 108 granite pillars with the profile of a wave, sited on a mound beside the Bristol Channel in Portishead. All of these commissions have been completed successfully, within scheduled deadlines and financial budgets.

Exhibitions and Symposia.

Dan has exhibited widely in Britain including solo exhibitions at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Djanogly Gallery in the University of Nottingham and a survey of leading stone sculptors at Canary Wharf in London. He has also exhibited and made works at sculpture symposiums in Japan, S.Korea, Sardinia, Sweden, Germany, Dubai, the Czech Republic, Turkey and Italy. His most recent large work in granite was made at the Barossa International Sculpture Symposium in Australia in the autumn of 2008.

Materials.

The materials Archer uses have a strong physical presence; their rich surface qualities are emphasised by the fragmented nature of some works which invoke the mysterious qualities of ancient or timeless architecture. These materials such as granite, stainless steel and bronze are of a very high quality and are extremely robust and durable. This gives his work considerable security in vulnerable public sites and reduces on-going maintenance costs.

Archer also makes sculpture in cast iron, neon, steel, unfired brick, earthworks, sound and light/image projection.

Work within Education

Since the early 1990's Archer has been a senior lecturer at Loughborough University School of Art and Design. His work is grounded in academic theory which supports his practical expertise in stone carving, bronze and iron casting, light and video effects and many other supporting techniques. His teaching skills enable him to engage with both design professionals and local communities, often holding seminars and workshops as part of his commissions. He has carried out numerous visiting lecturing posts including a 6 week exchange professorship at Tulane University, New Orleans.

Community Involvement

In many of his large scale commissions Archer has involved the community in which the sculpture will be sited. This has been achieved through a variety of means; in some cases by running specific workshops in stone carving. In Chesterfield this was for a group of high school girl pupils who studied on the site adjacent to the sculpture. In Glasgow it was with a community group; the Castlemilk Ladies group, women in their 70's, whose usual group activity was bowling. In both cases a week long carving workshop took place where they learned the essentials of stone carving to better understand the nature of sculpture production; they greatly enjoyed these, made work to keep and felt an intense 'ownership' of my work once on site.

In other cases he has involved the community in the selection of discrete location specific objects, sometimes cast into bronze, which were included in niches in the work. In his recent piece for Novartis Pharmaceuticals, the community was a very specific group of scientists and researchers. Here he worked with them in the selection of text and images to be inscribed in the polished upper face of a fractured ring of black granite which encircled the vertical form. Images/text selected included a poem by Albert Einstein, a magic square from a print by Durer and some reverse text from Leonardo DaVinci's notebooks.

Design Collaboration

As a member of the wider design team Archer has collaborated with community groups, architects, local authorities, landscape architects, structural engineers, quarries, fabricators, the public and media on his projects. He also has considerable experience of team leading on commission projects. Early collaboration has proved an important element in the design process with clients benefiting from a co-ordinated approach in both practical and creative outcomes.
Commissioning, Strategies, Lead Artist Role.

Over the past 20 years Archer has curated numerous exhibitions. He is involved in organising an annual round of commissions through Loughborough University School of Art and Design where he has negotiated over 65 commissions for students and emerging graduates. Archer facilitates competitions, funding, presentations and acts as an intermediary between the artists and commissioning bodies. Projects have included work for the Astra Zenica, The Priory LSST School in Lincoln, The New National Forest, East Midlands Airport, NHS Trusts, banks and educational institutions.

Financial management and administration:

Archer’s projects regularly involve the management of large budgets and all his commissions have been undertaken within budget. He is experienced in providing detailed cost breakdowns and statements for both design stages, through fabrication to installation on site. He is VAT registered and all his accounts are professionally managed and submitted to the relevant authorities. He is also professionally insured through a policy set up in conjunction with The Royal Society of British Sculptors. This scheme includes cover of £2,000,000 for Public Liability, £2,000,000 Product Liability as well as cover for business interruption and work in progress. Michael Dan Archer is also fully competent in all aspects of Health and Safety and risk assessment procedures.