Liz West, Our Colour Reflection, 2016 – 2020, Installation originally commissioned and exhibited at Visual Arts Centre, Scunthorpe.
Our Colour Reflection
Installation (mirror, acrylic tubing)
Dimensions Variable
2016 – 2020
Our Colour Reflection is a modular site responsive indoor work originally commissioned and exhibited in 2016 at 20- 21 Visual Arts Centre, Scunthorpe and later at St. Mark’s Church Mayfair (2016), Broadgate London (2016), Kraftwerk Berlin (2017), Chester Cathedral (2018), St Albans Museum + Gallery (2019), Abbaye de Beaulieu in France (2019), Bangalore International Centre in India (2019) and Hyvinkaa Art Museum, Finland (2020).
Our Colour Reflection creates a conversation between the viewer and the setting using more than 765 mirrors made of coloured acrylic. There are 15 colours in all and the mirrors with diameters of 30, 40, 50 and 60cm are set at different heights so that they reflect both the structure of the space and the people who inhabit it, revealing parts of the architecture that would otherwise be invisible, and project colour up into the interior. It is playful, elegant and engaging but also thoughtful. Taking time to consider the use, shape and scale of the space, I studied the historical contexts of stained glass and considered the importance of light within the space. This allowed me to ensure the work was grounded within its site but to also hold its own voice within the grandeur and information that the space brings to the conversation. There is an element of performance to this work; it puts the audience to the fore, demanding a response; physically, emotionally, psychologically or even spiritually. Viewers each have their own perspectives and their own experiences tempered by movement through the space and through time.