Liz West, Autumn Lights, 2016, Installation at Little Moreton Hall.
Autumn Lights
Installation series (plywood, aluminum, acrylic, polyester film)
Dimensions variable
2016
West drew inspiration from the thirty thousand lead window panes at Little Moreton Hall – and in particular, the glass they contain. The ancient hand blown glass in the windows of Little Moreton Hall is tinted by trace impurities of copper, iron and magnesium. These historical ‘colourways’ were the starting point for Autumn Lights, an exhibition that used natural light to visually alter visitors’ perceptions of the Hall’s many different spaces. These spaces can differ dramatically in atmosphere depending on the amount of light that’s present.
By using coloured retractions and reflections, West created a spatial light trail through the Hall which highlighted elements of its architecture that are usually unnoticed or overlooked. This interplay of architecture, light and colour constantly changed as the sun’s natural light shifts through the Autumn season.
Autumn Lights was commissioned by the National Trust as part of the Trust New Art programme in 2016 and had since toured to Beaulieu-en-Rouergue Abbey in France for West’s solo exhibition Dans la Lumière in 2019.