Biographical information

Beate Gegenwart is a Principal Lecturer and Head of School of Fine and Applied Arts at Swansea. Her main teaching engagement is on the BA (Hons) Surface Pattern Design programme, focusing on visual computing, digital textile techniques and practice-based tutorials. She studied at University of Wales, Cardiff and the University of the West of England, completing two Master degrees. Prior to coming to the Faculty of Art and Design at Swansea, she taught at the University of Wales, Cardiff, Hereford College of Art and West Wales School of Art.

Research profile
The research is practice-based, as an artist working in a range of media including laser cut stainless steel with subtle additions of vitreous enamel, works on paper and artists' books.

Recent exhibitions include

• 2007 August The Cultural Arts Centre, Columbus, Ohio, US, group exhibition ‘Fusion'

• 2007 May Studio Fusion Gallery, Oxo Tower Wharf, London

• 2006 December Kunstverein Coburg, Coburg, Germany, group exhibition:‘Jahresausstellung'

• 2006 October Create Centre, Bristol, group exhibition ‘Significant Spaces'

• 2006 July New Designers, Business Design Centre, London

• 2005 August Studio Fusion Gallery, Oxo Tower Wharf, London, group exhibition: ‘Rising Stars'

• 2005 June University of West of England, Drawing Centre

Her work is held in many national and international public and private collections.

Research interests include the implications of vector drawing and laser technology, specifically in the context of steel and Fine Art Enamelling. It asks questions about drawing practice and vector technology as a creative medium to create new hybrid fine and applied arts practices.
Conceptually, the focus is to investigate displacement and the condition of ‘in-between' in an era of global movement and cross-cultural references. The conceptual aims are to create sets of visual narratives, which explore the multi-layered aspects of locality, geography, borders, place, space and language from a cross-cultural perspective.