Laura Ellen Bacon completes her residency at Compton Verney
Date uploaded: November 2, 2011
Laura Ellen Bacon completes her residency at Compton Verney
Residency 24th June – 16th October 2011
Laura Ellen Bacon has just completed her four month residency at Compton Verney as the first Landscape Artist in Residence, but her works of art will remain in the grounds throughout 2012.
Her residency responded to Compton Verney’s magnificent ‘Capability’ Brown landscaped parkland, and coincided with the exhibition about Brown and his landscapes designs for estates in the Midlands including Charlecote, Weston Park and of course Compton Verney.
Laura’s residency had two strands: the first was the commission of site specific works which will remain on display throughout 2012. There are three commissioned works by Laura - one inside the yew tree on the front lawn, and two more as you walk through the ice house coppice. The second part of her residency was drop-in workshops in the grounds for the public on 28th and 29 August and 15th and 16th October. Here children and adults visiting Compton Verney had the opportunity to create a unique art work. Laura’s commissions have been interspersed with works which these visitors helped to create.
Since graduating in 2001, Laura has undertaken a host of commissions and in 2010 was selected as a Jerwood Contemporary Maker. Her handmade, den-like sculptural forms can be traced to her childhood enthusiasm for building personal spaces in the garden, woods and fields. Her works are reminiscent of nests or cocoons often made from natural materials created on a human scale. Laura says:
“Nests intrigue me because they utilise existing structures, such as trees or architectural features. Processes of accumulation also interest me, such as the creation of a bird’s nest or the build-up of driftwood on a riverbank. My use of materials is low-tech but intuitive, enjoying my chance to create work large enough to climb inside, or pass through in some way. I create most of my work on site, be it landscape, cityscape or for the interior setting.
My woven work today is often concerned with the making of 'spaces'; of capturing the delight of crafting a small area to dwell, even just for a moment.”
Laura Ellen Bacon’s residency was funded by Arts Council England.
