Invisible

About

Lucy Bell is pleased to present Invisible a record of the collaboration between sculptor Victoria Rance and dancer/choreographer Clare Whistler. The two artists met in 1997 and have worked regularly together since then including on performances at venues such as the De la Warr Pavilion, Glyndebourne and Deptford X. Victoria Rance's ‘Sculpture to Wear' series create a sheltering skin, protecting or altering the sense of self. The sculptures have elements of architecture and costume, and test the effect of the tension between protective constraint and freedom of movement. Examples are Mantilla, a helmet-like mask made of brazed steel eyes, and Cloak of Invisibility, a flexible aluminium cage. Performance artist Clare Whistler lets rationality and conscious thought disappear as she responds to these containing spaces. She becomes the embodiment of the sculptures when she enters or wears them. The action of taking the photographs continues this private and personal collaboration between the two artists in the studio space. Invisible includes a new series of photographs made especially for this exhibition. Victoria Rance is based in Deptford London, and is a graduate of Newcastle Upon Tyne University and Kingston University. She shows extensively and has produced private and public sculpture commissions as well as a variety of work in the studio. She received the Mark Tanner Award for Sculpture in 2003. Clare Whistler lives in Ashburnham and creates her own performance pieces while working as a director in opera, education and community projects. Trained at Rambert Dance, she was a dancer and choreographer in North America with her company which toured internationally. She established True North and Shaping Voices creative companies. Also included are sculptures and an archive of their studio based projects.and public performances.