Michael Avery

Communication (MFA)
Headshot of Michael Avery
A journal open to a page with hand writing and a drawing of a fragrance bottle.
A journal open to a page with hand writing and a drawing of a fragrance bottle.
A Memoir from the Staircase: viewed on site in the Covent Garden Station staircase.
Looking down on a journal with text and drawings sitting at the top of a spiral staircase.
Looking down on a journal with text and drawings sitting at the top of a spiral staircase.
A Memoir from the Staircase: viewed on site in the Covent Garden Station staircase.
Illustrations of staircase elements and sweet pea flowers, a handwritten letter, and a bag of sweet pea seeds.
Illustrations of staircase elements and sweet pea flowers, a handwritten letter, and a bag of sweet pea seeds.
A Memoir from the Staircase: scanned spreads showing illustrations and collected materials.
Illustrations of looping and spiraling staircases, and an illustration of a man on an small island.
Illustrations of looping and spiraling staircases, and an illustration of a man on an small island.
A Memoir from the Staircase: scanned spreads showing full page illustrations.
A journal open to a page with hand writing and a drawing of a fragrance bottle.
Looking down on a journal with text and drawings sitting at the top of a spiral staircase.
Illustrations of staircase elements and sweet pea flowers, a handwritten letter, and a bag of sweet pea seeds.
Illustrations of looping and spiraling staircases, and an illustration of a man on an small island.

About

Michael Avery is an artist from Washington, DC, now based in London. Before joining the RCA, he worked in visual communication design and illustration, with a focus on illustrated mapmaking. His detail-oriented practice explores place through a blend of anecdotal storytelling and historical research, treating the creative process as a form of inquiry. He values strong aesthetics and work that embraces visible craft.

At the RCA, he developed an interest in speculative fiction and the art of the sketchbook. He explored both in A Memoir from the Staircase, a journal and sketchbook created from the perspective of Clive Simmonds, a 63-year-old widower from Margate who finds himself trapped in an endlessly looping section of the Covent Garden Station staircase. Michael plans to continue developing the project, examining how the journal can function as a piece of parafiction when situated in different public contexts.

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