In The Window

About

For the month of January, Bluecoat Display Centre is proud to exhibit the ceramic sculptures of Sophie Woodrow. Sophie was drawn to working with clay from an early age. Born in Bristol in 1979, she graduated in 2001 from Falmouth College of Art with a BA in Studio Ceramics. Since then she has refined intricate labour-intensive techniques and honed a highly distinctive visual language. Each piece is hand-built, involving coiling, incising and impressing into clay to create a delicately textured surface. Sophie's work focuses on the Victorian era, exploring the idea that Victorians were the first generation who chose to define nature in opposition to what is human. In a spirit of wild curiosity, tinged with fear, the Victorians idolised nature, ‘packaging' it into highly romanticized works of art. Our modern-day understanding is very different as we now interpret much Victorian art as ‘unnatural' or kitsch. Pursuing an interest in natural history, Sophie has also focussed particularly upon shifting theories of evolution. Her work has been inspired by the enormous misinterpretations of geological evidence made by the Victorians. She regards these misinterpretations as a game of Chinese whispers played out over many years. Ultimately, Sophie seeks to assemble unusual creatures from the strange notions of what we define as ‘nature'. For more information pop into Bluecoat Display Centre or call us on 0151 709 4014 or email crafts@bluecoatdisplaycentre.com.