Simon Fenoulhet

Artist and arts project manager

I’m an artist who mainly works with light as a creative medium, making gallery installations and public lighting commissions. I use colour, movement, projected pattern and shadows to affect how we see things. My work is often tailored to exhibition spaces but I also enjoy working on external lighting for buildings when I get the opportunity. My studio is a dark space where I have a store of materials and equipment and where I can experiment with lighting effects and try out new ideas. Whatever I’m working on, it’s always a combination of space, light and object. I am currently working on a series of rotating projection pieces that explore the edges of Wales.

When I’m not making art, I’m helping to organise projects for artists, mainly in Wales. I manage public commissions and residencies for a number of clients. Like many artists, I’ve had a lifetime of balancing my own practice alongside other commitments such as teaching, project management and family life.

I studied Fine Art at Newport and Cardiff colleges of art gaining a master degree in 1987. Between 1991 and 2004 I was Deputy Director of Cywaith Cymru Artworks Wales, the national organisation for public art and between 2004 and 2013 I taught Fine Art at the University of Wales Newport. I was awarded the gold medal for fine art at the 2010 Eisteddfod in Ebbw Vale and was given an Arts Council major Creative Wales award in 2012.