Lumia Domestica

18 Nov 2008
Willie, also known for his work with David Bowie, George Michael and REM, will transform humble, discarded glassware into a sublime and meditative environment in the form of 'light paintings'. A life-long fascination with kitsch was what drew Willie to the ugly and discarded glassware at the heart of each piece. The transformation into a sublime and meditative environment exemplifies 'the artist's responsibility to discover beauty in unlikely places, rather than to accept societal 'givens' dictated by fashion, advertising and junk TV.' 'I decided to make something that would play with the idea of 'light shows'.' he explains. 'From the earliest 'lumia' experiments of the 1920s to the automated lighting of modern day theatre, the principle is the same - there is a light source, something to make colour and then a piece of glass to focus or diffract the output. Quite how I got from there to cake stands I don't exactly remember, but the notion of taking humble, if not hideous, domestic objects and using them to make the aurora borealis was an opportunity I couldn't resist.' The show is part of an ongoing series of works investigating the transformative power of light which made its debut at Turnpike Gallery, Greater Manchester and was developed at other showings including the Science Gallery of Trinity College Dublin. If you're near London in the next couple of weeks, the show, at Wallspace, a gallery in an 18th century church in the heart of the City of London, is well worth a visit. Details here.

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