The lights of Architecture An exhibition of lighting pieces by artist Maryja Johnson

About

Private View: Friday 7th of August 2009 - 6 pm to 11 pm Exhibition runs from: Friday 7th to Thursday 13th of May 2009 Gallery Opening Hours: Fri, Sat, Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs: 2.30 pm - 6.30 pm Last day of Exhibition: Thurs 13th Aug: 11.00am to 5.00pm Mild steel, iron rod and raw silk are some of the ingredients of Maryja Johnson's pieces. Using attachment as a feature, she has designed within her pieces, ways to join metal and fabrics using brazing, rivets and stitch that compliment the materials used. The embroidery on silk is mostly improvised (like some of Maryja's music) but sometimes echoes the surrounding shapes of the brazed steel that frames the textiles on some of her lights. As well as traditional shaped hanging shades, Maryja likes also to craft shapes with silks, making the textiles stand out of the frame it sits in. These beautifully designed pieces are inspired by the late Spanish architect, Gaudi. Maryja has a love for his work, especially his metal gates and balconies. Fluidity, organic forms and her use of specific materials play a big part in the amalgamous designs of her lights. Graduating in Textiles and Music, Maryja finished her degree at University of Chichester in '97 with a display of unusually shaped lighting pieces that took her textile creations to another level. Maryja also looks at juxtaposing materials, colour, and shape within her designs; setting off, yet merging the hardness of metal with the softness of the textiles, enticing the viewer with the more metaphorical sense of darkness before the light… Nearest Buses from Brixton/Camberwell: 35 (From Clapham Junction), 45 (From Kings X), 345 (From Sth Ken to Peckham), P4 (Brixton to Lewisham) Nearest Train: Loughborough Junction (Thames Link via King X to Sutton)