For the exhibition ‘Whales - A Deeper Dialogue’ British sculptor and advocate for the awareness of climate change, Tessa Campbell Fraser aims to unravel the interspecies communications between man and animal that are currently at the forefront of scientific research. Three monumental (5.2m, 4.6m and 3m respectively) sculptures of sperm whales will be suspended from the roof of the tithe barn mimicking the sleeping position of whales in the open sea. The open timbers and roofbeams of the barn are reminiscent of an upturned boat, carrying subliminal associations with the industrial scale whaling which reduced sperm whale numbers to critical levels in the 19th century, when their waxy spermaceti oil famously oiled the wheels of the Industrial Revolution.
Campbell Fraser deliberately seeks out and employs sustainable, natural, recycled or repurposed materials. In this exhibition she is using recycled ghost netting, silk chiffon, latex, and synthetic (recycled) paper, made with almost no water. Using haptic techniques with these materials, she creates fluid, protean pieces in two-and three-dimensional forms to explain the dialogue between herself and nature.
This exhibition opens on Sunday 6 October and forms part of the Active Environmentalism programming at Messums Org which is founded on the principle that action begins with knowledge. Our Oh! Is for Ocean symposium takes place on Saturday 5 October.
3 окт 2024
