Seeing Beyond - Interview with Laura Medcalf pt.I

Working between the studio and the shoreline, Laura Medcalf creates tactile, light-sensitive works shaped by open water, minerals, and time. Her practice, grounded in both experimentation and presence, merges natural forces with artistic intention, yielding textured, meditative pieces that feel as much found as they are made.

When I first met Laura during the Art and Antique Fair in Budapest, I was immediately drawn into her art—but perhaps even more so into the process it's created, both physically and mentally. She was partially interviewed on these topics during the fair, and I couldn't wait for the right moment to have a conversation of my own with her.

That opportunity came ahead of her upcoming solo exhibition, Seeing Beyond, opening this May at 54 The Gallery in London. I spoke to Laura about her process, the landscapes that shape her, and the ideas behind this new body of work.

I. Practice and Process

Your work is at the intersection of landscape, texture, and abstraction. If you had to describe the core of your artistic practice to someone new, where would you begin?

I would begin by describing my work as a collaboration with nature. Rather than simply taking inspiration from the environment, I allow natural elements, particularly open water, the changing quality of light and organic matter, to play an active role in shaping each piece. Texture and abstraction are tools I use to express forces that are often unseen but deeply felt: time, erosion and light. At its heart, my practice is about capturing the ephemeral and making it tangible.

Your works often begin in your Budapest studio but evolve in open water. How did this relationship between control and natural intervention come into your process?

That's a great question. There's quite a story behind how I came to work with natural intervention. To put it simply, I once overheated the UV machine at university, which caused a small fire and set off the fire alarm. I wasn't allowed to use the machine again after that. As a way of processing what had happened, I began taking long walks by the sea. It was during those walks that I felt drawn to work with natural materials like soil, sand and open water, rather than continuing my research into plant migration using artificial light. That moment marked the beginning of my relationship with natural intervention, and I discovered my artistic voice during that time. It has evolved significantly since then, continuing to shift and respond to each new location and series.

Your materials—sand, rock, light-sensitive pigments—are inseparable from the environments they come from. What is it about these organic elements that keeps drawing you back?

These natural elements carry the energy and memory of the places they are from. They respond to time and light in a way that feels alive, and they allow me to work with change rather than permanence. Each moment reacts differently, and the vast range of blue tones I achieve through my process is incredibly exciting. My works have a quiet power in their fragility that draws the eyes to see further and further, just as I myself enter a state of flow and pure silence when creating them. It takes time to even step out of that state.

II. Seeing Beyond

What was the initial impulse or curiosity that led to Seeing Beyond as an exhibition?

I have always been interested in perception, in what we see, what we sense and what often goes unnoticed. Seeing Beyond came from a desire to explore those subtle boundaries and to invite the viewer into a slower way of looking that connects with both the external landscape and their inner world.

The works seem to hover between stillness and transformation. How do these themes unfold in the exhibition space itself?

They unfold through subtle changes in texture, colour and layering. The pieces are quiet but not static. As viewers move through the space, different elements become visible depending on the light and the angle. It is an environment that encourages reflection and close attention.

The title Seeing Beyond suggests depth, perception, and something intangible. What kind of experience or reflection do you hope it offers to visitors?

I hope it offers a moment of pause. A chance to connect with deeper rhythms both in nature and within ourselves. I want the experience to feel meditative and open, allowing for personal interpretation and emotional response.

Laura Medcalf - Máté Ternovics