Richard Sweeney

Richard Sweeney was born in Huddersfield, England in 1984. From a young age he displayed a natural ability as a creator, producing highly detailed observed drawings of his surroundings. Throughout his education, he found himself torn between the academic and the artistic, and despite pressure from his college tutors to apply for Oxbridge he opted for art school to continue his creative development. Although determined to become a graphic designer, Richard discovered a natural talent for sculpture at Batley School of Art and Design in 2002. His keen eye for detail and proportion transferred well into three dimensional media, and he began experimenting with sheet materials including paper, cardboard and laminated wood. This led him to the study of Three Dimensional Design at the Manchester Metropolitan University, where he concentrated on the hands-on manipulation of paper to create design models, which ultimately developed into sculptural pieces in their own right. Richard's practice combines the disciplines of design, photography, craft and sculpture, resulting in a varied output of work including graphic design and public sculpture commissions. Combining hand-craft with computer aided design and CNC manufacturing techniques, Richard seeks to maintain an experimental, hand-on approach, utilising the unique properties of often mundane materials to discover unique sculptural forms.