Roger McNulty Beyond the Furnace

Roger comes from the steel town of Motherwell. Having spent early years overlooking the edge of the fertile Clyde Valley backed by acres of colourful furnaces lighting the sky and the constant refrain of rolling mills and trains shunting, his artwork inevitably reflects conflicts between peoples needs and the environment.  He studied art first in Glasgow while completing an engineering apprenticeship and has a BA in fine Art from Central Saint Martins, London.

His work follows a representational path using sketches, digital images, maps photographs and memory to create the work.

He has worked and exhibited in the UK and Asia and has a studio in Essex.

This exhibition was initiated as a cons Global Warming.

‘Steelmaking is one of the most carbon-intensive industrial processes in the world’. The Entire History of Steel, Popular Mechanics, July 2018.

The artist was once a British Steel employee, brought up in the North Lanarkshire steelmaking region. In this exhibition he brings together work related to Steel production and its communities, with an emphasis on processes, waste, transition, and initiatives to neutralise its global carbon footprint.

Steelmaking migrates both within countries and across the world, depending on fluctuating economic factors. The production process, along with the associated activities of mining, rolling, strip and tube making, commonly cover vast acres of land. As a result, communities and landscapes are inevitably altered when the transition from agrarian to manufacturing and ultimately service sector activity, takes place.

‘Steelmaking has played a crucial role in the development of ancient, medieval and modern technological societies.’ Carbon Market Watch, Briefing March 2022, Decarbonising Steel p.2

In the near future it is improbable that the wide applications that use steel will vanish or will be superseded by suitable alternative materials. Therefore, establishing ways to reduce the release of CO₂ as a result of steel production methods, are crucial in any effort to limit global warming.

Steelmaking needs a furnace, raw materials, energy and labour, but now, critically more than ever, it also needs research and innovation to reduce its carbon footprint while effectively tackling the societal effects of its migration.

While debates rage on how best to limit the adverse global impact of steelmaking on our planet, this exhibition reflects on some significant aspects of the industry, its consequences, and research to alleviate the impact of its CO₂ emissions.

Roger’s practice examines borders and materials using painting, video, and sculpture.