Page 80 - enLIGHTenment Magazine - September 2016

Go West

Liz West has her new work Our Spectral Vision as

part of Colour and Vision: Through the Eyes of Nature at

the Natural History Museum, London. The exhibit runs
through November 6, 2016.

In addition, West has been commissioned as part of the

Trust New Art program at the National Trust Exhibition
at Li le Moreton Hall to present a solo exhibition

called Autumn Lights that opens September 7 and runs

through November 27.

top: Liz West’s Our a child were of discovering the world in a sen- li le doubt that the use of light and color would
Spectral Vision installation
sory capacity. I was a racted to objects, land eventually creep into the process, presentation,
was on display in London
this year.
and cityscapes, and spaces and fashion that were and concept.
made of vibrant colors — the brightest tones and I vividly remember, the Days Like These exhibi-

top right: West named hues of strong saturation.
tion at Tate Britain in 2003. I stepped onto one
this 2016 installation Our I recall enjoying driving down roads canopied of Jim Lambie’s brightly colored vinyl oor pieces
Colour Re ection.
with rich green summer leaves creating dappled and it had a David Batchelor light tower in the

sunlight on the asphalt. I loved the early morn- middle. I was nearly physically sick because of
ing glimmers of the rising sun re ecting onto the how overwhelming it was; it made me happy. That

North Sea whilst having a pre-breakfast swim. I experience [of feeling sick] didn’t put me o in-
o en admired the stained glass front door, espe- teracting with the artwork; instead, it excited me.

cially when the sun aligned and created colored I thought that if ever I become an artist, this was

re ections on the white-washed hallway. As a the kind of e ect I wanted to have on my audi-
child, I was taken to a lot of exhibitions because ence, this overwhelming, immersive environment.
UX
both my parents are artists. From a very early age In my nal year as an art student, I really started ERE
I knew that the type of work that I enjoyed was playing with lights and lighting e ects. It took me EV
D
installations where you were immersed within a a long time to pin down exactly what I was inter- AH
NN
colorful or light-based environment.
ested in within the realm of color and the material HA
All these memories had one thing in common: of light. My work and ideas feed into my lifestyle T:
GH
the use of color and light together. Light is an enti- on a daily basis; this allows me to never become RI
ty that my whole life has centered around; not just bored and always [in the process of] be nding OP
N; T
my work. I notice even the slightest light changes out about my own perception and sensibilities and O
NS
during the daytime, which a ect my emotions and tuning into others.
HE
psychology drastically. Given that light quality is TEP
S
central to my understanding of the world and well- MB: Who are your in uences?
JIM
being, when I chose to become an artist there was
LW: The work of artists who use the mediums of
P:
TO

78 enLIGHTenment Magazine | SepteMber 2016
www.enlightenmentmag.com