About the work
Amy Stephens’s Waking Matter is assembled from a piece of surplus marble that is presented to the viewer as an object of stability. This beautiful off-cut was noticed by the artist when documenting the view from a quarry that overlooks the territory of Lunigiana in Tuscany.
The metamorphic rock inhabits both a physical and psychological space. Set upon a modern architectonic steel pedestal, there is an air of admiration for the entity itself. The physical making process is clearly visible, forming a bond between the natural and the constructed.
Striated and pitted with crystals, the conflicting geological textures take naturally to each other as they are forced to adopt a new habitat. Rocks and minerals have their own story, but the abundance of any object can be a source of invisibility. This sculpture is a celebration of nature that focuses on the importance of these terrestrial wonders.
Informed by geology and travel, Amy Stephens is interested in how we reuse, recycle and re-appropriate everyday materials from our daily environment. Using photography and collage, the work evolves through a series of stages leading to three-dimensional structures. The artist’s intention is to elevate artefacts in a considered way to generate a new perspective about time and our appreciation of the landscape.
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About the artist
Amy Stephens (London, b.1981) is a British artist working with sculpture and mixed media. With the use of photography and collage, the artist celebrates artefacts to generate a new perspective about time and our appreciation of what is described as landscape. Stephens studied at Chelsea College of Art and Design, London, (MA Fine Art) and the University of Reading, (BA (Hons) Fine Art). Recent solo exhibitions have included Persistence of Land, Bo Lee and Workman, Somerset, UK (2023), Nature knows only colours, Art Seen Maria Stathi, Nicosia, Cyprus (2021); Land|Reland [Portland], Upfor Gallery, Portland, US (2018); fig-futures, Grundy Art Gallery, Blackpool, UK (2018); fig-2, 35/50, ICA Studio, London, UK (2015). Recent group exhibitions have included If Not Now, When? Generations of Women in Sculpture in Britain, 1960 – 2022, The Hepworth Wakefield Gallery, UK (2023); New Things, Grundy Art Gallery, Blackpool, UK (2023); Psychotropics, New Art Centre, UK (2020); and Skulturenpark, Galerie Kandlhofer, Vienna, Austria (2019).
For more information, please visit the gallery website: Bo Lee and Workman
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