Alastair Duncan is a visual artist. He works in tapestry weaving and also photography and sound. This work is strongly influenced by his interest in tactile, visual and aural texture which comes from his original training in tapestry weaving at Cleveland College of Art in the North East of England.
He has also had training in digital interactive media, photography, sound and graphic design and has many years of experience working both to commission and in education. He has exhibited his work widely in Britain and internationally.
Early in his career, whilst artist in residence at the Dovecot Arts Centre in Stockton-on-Tees, he won the John Holden Memorial Craft Commission for the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. Since then he has been selected as Artist in Residence by museums and schools on many occasions.
Moving to Wales in the 1980s, he established a studio in Swansea`s Maritime Quarter and went on to develop his work in the commission and public art field, and in education.
He has led and directed many different large and small scale projects with schools and community groups across South Wales. Since 2005 he has been working from his own purpose built studio.
Update
In 2018 Alastair received an Arts Council of Wales Research and Development grant to explore, in collaboration with Simon Kilshaw at UWTSD Swansea College of Art, the use of interactive audio in tapestry weaving. His latest work includes a background soundscape and light sensors that trigger extra elements of environmental sound. This tapestry was included in the British Tapestry Group exhibition "Sound and Weave" which toured to Scotland, England and Wales.
A video of this tapestry, titled "INTERCONNECTION" and other new sound and weave work can be seen here.
Currently Alastair has a touring one-man exhibition of his interactive tapestry weaving at the OBS Gallery in Tonbridge. This exhibition was initiated by Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre, Cwmbran and will be moving to The Base Arts Centre in Greenham in June 2024.