Two-Step: Making a Piece for Platform

This September we welcome Glasgow based artists Beth Shapeero and Fraser Taylor of Two-Step, who bring Scribbling/Scrabbling to Platform, Easterhouse  – a new exhibition focusing on a site-specific painting, and the largest Two-Step work to date. The exhibition runs Sat 21 Sep 2024 until Sat 11 Jan 2025 - opening event is 2pm - 4pm on Sat 21 Sep - everyone is welcome, entry is free and light refreshments will be served. Drop in, no need to book.

Inspired by the sheer scale of the exhibition wall at Platform, Beth and Fraser, who have been working collaboratively since 2018, have created a giant canvas artwork measuring 18 metres wide by 5 metres high , which will be displayed alongside a selection of smaller archive pieces and monotypes. The archive is a shortlist of hundreds of drawings the duo shared during lockdown in 2020 when they couldn’t meet up, some of which have been reimagined in scale into a giant architectural work using painting and mark making techniques.

The process of creating the piece has involved the canvas being laid out on the floor of Beth’s expansive studio in Maxim Park, Motherwell, and due to size, will not be fully realised until it is installed vertically at Platform. This will be the first time that the artists will see the work in its intended orientation, and with the complexity of the install means no changes can be made, instilling a sense of trust in each other’s contribution. 

Beth said: “Two-Step had been exploring the concept of exhibiting at Platform for some time and the opportunity to stage a work on the large-scale exhibition wall allowed us to create something that would not be possible to achieve in most locations. When we first floated the idea of a colossal painting as we looked at the exhibition wall, it really was too thrilling to resist - and so we began planning it for production and we become more comfortable with the idea of rough edges. In fact, as some parts get rougher, more collaged, and less perfect, it feels like it’s growing into something that’s a part of us — patched up, a bit messy. 

"We reviewed our ‘lockdown’ drawings—A4 sheets we passed back and forth between us (we must have 500-600 of them)—and selected a few to bring into Platform, imagining how these small, scruffy drawings could transform into something architectural in scale. Fraser had picked this blue and black drawing with bold, thick, curved blue lines -like giant mechanical teeth, roughly held together by some strong black lines. I remember him telling me a couple of years ago about a bridge shape he had in mind, something he saw on a walk that stayed with him, this weird line that he kept drawing.

"The drawings I’m talking about—our lockdown drawings—are created through a collaborative process. We pass them back and forth in a big envelope, each adding something until we decide they’re finished. In this particular drawing, I think I added the smudgy marks, and then Fraser added the lines. Then he probably handed it back to me, and I decided it was done. As Two-Step, working collaboratively, it doesn’t really matter who made what mark. There’s an act of letting go, of moving from ‘that’s mine’ to ‘that’s ours.’ It’s like a marriage—the little bits of Fraser and Beth in the work combine to create something with a bit of magic in it. That magic comes from letting go of our egos—of needing the work to look like mine or feel like mine. It’s about making space for wildness, for the unknown and the unexpected.

"It’s a powerful drawing—almost aggressive, with bluish smudges in the background. The curves feel important because they will interact with the architecture of the space, the very linear structure, turning the entire space into one giant 3D drawing.

"We started painting, and it was fun—physically demanding because of the scale, but fun. We tested some marks on a big piece of test canvas, watering down blues and using an old fabric painting scrunched up as a massive sponge. I crawled around the canvas, making marks while Fraser directed me from above, overseeing the overall composition. I followed my instincts, dragging the sponge, not really seeing how it looked. And that was almost better—I was in it, just moving. It felt more like a performance than measured painting, with Fraser choreographing but letting me find my rhythm and movement."

Fraser added: ‘The artwork celebrates the joy of colour, mark making and an insight into our creative language and friendship. We are committed to challenging scale and we enjoyed translating our small drawings into architectural mounted works.

“The question of how we do this motivates us and it prompts a dialogue which considers everything from the tools we will use to scale-up our marks to the logistics of how the completed work will be installed.’  

Margaret McCormick, Arts & Communities Lead at Platform said: “We are excited to host an exhibition of Beth and Fraser’s drawings and paintings, and a new work in response to the architecture of The Bridge building, here in Easterhouse. Their use of colour, line, shape and mark making brings a lot of joy and playfulness - it also brings an insight into how they create works together.

“I have admired their collaboration for some time - a mutual love of drawing, painting and making -  and something that reflects what we do here at Platform; hosting opportunities for people to come together to have fun, make, get creative and be inspired.”

The exhibition is free admission and is on at Platform from Sat 21 Sep 2024 until Sat 11 Jan 2025. Exhibition opening times: Mon 10am–5pm, Tues 10am–8pm, Wed 10am–5pm, Thu 10am–8pm, Fri 10am–5pm, Sat 10am–5pm, closed Sundays. More details here.