Inspired by the ‘nuclear tourism’ of Las Vegas in the 1950’s London based artist Kirsty Harris and Cornwall based Stuart Robinson have created a collaborative installation of new works. Both artists have been fascinated by the culture surrounding the nuclear age and the contrasts and inherent contradictions both morally and visually exploding from this era. This installation seeks to explore these themes through 2 large visual interventions ‘facing off’ against each other across the space.
Kirsty Harris, Charlie, Oil on unstretched linen, 112" x 69", 2017
Stuart Robinson, Paradice, Wood, LED faux-neon, emulsion, 180x120x80cm, 2017.
Kirsty Harris, Blow Me Up Not the World, Edition of 750 printed balloons.
Risograph poster for the exhibition.
Kirsty Harris, Help, Drawing on window in situ, 2017.
Stuart Robinson
Robinson's work takes inspiration from illuminated signage and the relationships between these bright, bold statements and the contrasts they create, both in message and in the landscape they inhabit. His sculptural and installation works are strongly linked to imagery from film and television as well as personal experiences and travels, exploring natural and created landscapes and they way in which we experience and consume these. The works are often built to irregular scales with a deliberate use of simple and facsimile materials such as MDF, emulsion and faux-neon led lighting helping evoke ideas of set design and film props while creating a sense that something is not quite right.
Robinson has recently presented a solo exhibition - Promontory, as part of the South West Showcase 2017 at Plymouth College of Art.
Kirsty Harris
Harris explores the notion of nuclear explosions as cultural, historical and iconic symbols. She references the scale, beauty and the abhorrent nature of the mushroom clouds while also delving into the periphery of the subject and its surrounding evidence and equipment. In this, her largest painting to date at 112x69” each square inch of linen represents 4 tons of TNT - which in turn is the unit of measurement used to signify the yield of the explosion. Charlie, from the Tumbler Snapper operation, was detonated on 22nd April 1952 on the Nevada proving ground.
As a multidisciplinary artist Harris makes silverpoint drawings on oak blocks, cyanotypes, paintings on glass, linen and in bleach, audio works and short films.
Kirsty recently exhibited at CFCCA in Manchester, with her solo exhibition - How I Learned to Stop Worrying (1945-2016)