Kristjana S Williams – Hand-Cut 3D artWorks

Kristjana S Williams has joined The Old High Street at Number 19 to 21. Her work is three dimensional, hand-cut artworks based around maps and elements from the natural world.  She grew up in Iceland but was born in the UK, and spends her time between the two countries.  Being based in Folkestone was important to link back to her childhood connections with the sea.  Folkelife visited her studio to find out more about her life and work.

“My father was British and my mother Icelandic, and although I was born here, I grew up in Iceland until I was about 20 years old.  Iceland, at that time, seemed like a provincial fishing village, so when I moved to London, it really was like walking into a different world. London was so vibrant and busy, and I loved it a lot.  Yet, when I turned 50, I decided that I was missing my links to the sea, and moved to Folkestone.

“I had discovered the town in about 2014.  I came to some art fairs here, and having been to lots of seaside towns, from Plymouth to Margate, Folkestone really had a feel about it that I identified with.  There is a confidence about each person I’ve met here which seems to say ‘take me as you find me’, ‘this is who I am’, which I love.”

connecting with the sea

“I have lived down here for extended periods now and I can connect with those elements which are important in my life.  Sea swimming happens regularly for me.  There’s a breathability about this stretch of coast which makes sense to me.  Every time I come down here I realise that I made the right decision to live here.

“Folkestone works for me.  In London, you are reacting continuously, but here, nature is in charge.  You are put in your place by the sea, it’s a lot like living in Iceland.  It resettles my nervous system.

“I’ve been a tenant of Creative Folkestone since 2021, based in The Wedge building on Tontine Street.  When this space came up it meant I can have a better working space; a fully-functioning studio in the space below, and a gallery on street-level to welcome visitors.”

attention to detail

“I am essentially a collage artist, but I have also always done animation too.  The engravings are key to my work, I find them, scan them in, clean them up, cut them out, colour them in, and then I rescale them to fit with the rest of the setting.  Sometimes they are quite pure, and as I found them.  Other times I create a new painting from the original engraving. 

“These do take me a long time, but I am always making more than one thing at a time. That way I am always interested in what I am doing.  I love the little English curiosities in this print.  It’s about arriving in London, from Fortnum and Masons to the markets, and contrasting other areas to show London’s diversity.  This next one is about how long it would take you to drive across London in an horse and carriage.”

creative journey

“I use a lot of maps in my work.  At school, I was rather terrible, and hated most things but art and geography.  We had amazing geography teachers who gave us crayons to colour in maps and so on.  Everyone in that class has gone on to travel the world.   Iceland felt like this island in the middle of nowhere, it’s not, but that’s what it felt like. 

“I was terrified of going into the arts, and so I studied electronics first. I wanted to do something practical, and was making low-voltage circuits but my maths was terrible.  The next thing I tried was graphic design and illustration, and from that was pushed more down the fine-art route, and went to Central St Martins.

“I can see now that I was creating work that was the beginnings of what I do now.  We did a lot of screen printing, and so I used to layer up different elements on multiple screens, so I can see how far my journey has come.”

coldplay and the butterfly package

“I have done a lot of work with Chris Martin and the Coldplay team.  Chris and his manager had been collecting my artwork for a number of years.  Then, he saw a butterfly that I had made.  I pitched it for one of the albums, along with some other artists.  It was a nerve-wracking experience as we had to wait for the final decision.  But they chose my butterfly, and it’s on the album!”

“Now, I’m based in what was Shane Record’s gallery.  We’ve been in touch constantly about how the space works.  He’s been so supportive, as has everyone here. I am looking forward to using this new space and being a part of The Old High Street in Folkestone.”