Patrick S. Ford
BIO
Patrick S. Ford is currently living and working in the UK while studying for a PhD in performing arts with the University of Plymouth, after returning from Vietnam.
His art education began at Leeds Arts University (UK) - receiving a ‘Merit’ certificate, at Northumbria University (UK) – receiving a BA (Hons) Fine Art degree, and at RMIT (Aus.) – receiving an MFA degree.
He previously held the post of Associate Lecturer in the Department of Communication and Design at RMIT University Vietnam (Saigon South Campus), where he lived for 3 years.
He has exhibited his work in solo and group shows in Europe and Asia beginning in 1982 and since then has participated in over 100 exhibitions and art projects. His work is held in several public collections in Europe and Asia and in numerous private collections. He has taken part in several Artist In Residence projects, including one at the Guanlan Printmaking Base in Southern China.
Patrick has written papers on aspects of Cultural Studies and Fine Art practice for several conferences in both Asia and Europe, presenting a paper at a conference in Istanbul, Turkey (link here). He also contributed an opinion piece to the Hong Kong publication: Ming Pao Weekly (link here).
Before moving to Vietnam, Patrick had lived in Hong Kong for 25 years and for the first 10 years he worked as a founding partner in a modelmaking company, undertaking work for Architects, Landscape Architects, Engineers, Urban Planners, Developers, Photographers and Designers.
Patrick has also worked as a teacher at every educational level from kindergarten through to Higher Education.
For the last 7 years of his time in Hong Kong, Patrick worked at the Hong Kong Design Institute where, as a lecturer, he taught numerous subjects to Higher Diploma and BA Degree level students.
During his time at the Hong Kong Design Institute, Patrick participated in the Institute Ambassador team for several visits by overseas institutions, including a visit from Delft University of Technology (link here), when he gave a short lecture on basic design education to the visiting staff and students.
Patrick also worked on the planning and running of two separate student trips to Kyoto in Japan and following this experience he was invited to Kyoto SAGA University of Arts to give a lecture on drawing and conduct a half-day drawing workshop (link here.)
He participated in the curriculum writing and validation teams for the new Higher Diploma in Visual Arts and Culture programme as well as teaching many of the programme’s constituent modules.
He also participated in the validation and accreditation team for the new BA (Hons) Fine Art Programme, run in collaboration with Birmingham City University in the UK.
Patrick was Course Leader of the Fine Art Degree programme (link here), working closely with the Course Leader of the home programme and making visits to Birmingham to attend programme academic boards (link here).
Patrick recently completed a temporary post as Course Leader of the BA (Hons) 3D Creative Practice degree programme at York College, UK.
Originally trained as a sculptor, Patrick has also worked as a printmaker and is currently pursuing projects involving the development of a personal approach to drawing methodology (link here), and performance, especially that related to Walking Art (link here). His practice often seeks to take art-making out into the environment to encourage observation, reflection and response, and just as often dwells on the border between disciplines.
Some of Patrick’s most recent projects have involved collaboration with other artists, usually internationally, which has encouraged the exploration of alternative working methods through the use of Skype, social media, and the employment of specific apps to enable real-time or delayed-time communications etc. (links here & here).
These lines of investigation are feeding directly back into his practice, forming a kind of virtuous circle in working methods.