Rizwan Mirza
Fire Station Residency
2015-2020
Rizwan Mirza's work explores existing narratives of geography, sites, historical events and people around us, through a process of re-examining information and archives - covering subjects such as destruction, reconstruction, mortality, language and visible/hidden knowledge: not only through how it is shaped by society but also by disentangling the layers of material found within it.
By using his experience as a researcher working with archives and collections and media publishers he sources, collates and re-presents perceived information, knowledge, history and culture whilst constructing references or narratives of his own cultural heritage and experiences often working with materials/objects found on location or at particular points in time. Through these explorations, of our environment and objects and re-imagining how ideas exist in another form his ideas re-assess and re-consider questions about how we know, exploring our understanding of others and more importantly ourselves.
Fire Station Residency 2015-2020
Acme's residency at the Fire Station is one of the most directly supportive schemes for artists in the United Kingdom, providing combined studio and living space at low rents, as well as a half rent residency for a deaf or disabled artist. This five year fixed-term residency scheme is intended to allow artists more time to concentrate on the development of their work and professional careers, and less time working to survive. 2015-2020 residents were selected by former Acme Residency and Projects Manager Julia Lancaster, and artists and former Fire Station residents Erika Tan and Ben Cove.