Her Warm Reflection, Image: Gavriil Papadiotis
Collected Light Light Collective & formalighting Following a successful debut in London, the Collected Light exhibition toured to Milan on the 12-14 April, just before Milan Design Week, with the support of formalighting. The exhibition has expanded with the purchase of two new artworks from Liz West (UK) and Kate Hush (USA). The collection now comprises seven artworks created by seven different female artists and features a range of mediums, from neon to projection, created between 2019 and 2023 and curated by Sharon Stammers and Martin Lupton of Light Collective. The Milan venue was the beautiful 17th Century farmhouse, Cascina Cuccagna, a perfect backdrop for guests to also experience work from Kate McMillan (UK/AU), Karolina Halatek (PL), Jacqueline Hen (DE), Tamar Frank (NL) and Chila Kumari Burman Singh (UK). The new artworks that have been specifically designed for Collected Light are firstly Her Warm Reflection, 2023, by Liz West. Her Warm Reflection creates a conversation between the viewer and the setting using 120 mirrors made of coloured acrylic. The work is comprised of discs with diameters of 30, 40, 50 and 60cm in eight colours, which 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 warm and rich colours up into the interior. It is playful, elegant, engaging and thoughtful. 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. The second piece added to the collection is A Wade in the River Rouge, 2023 by Kate Hush, with a poetic and political concept behind it. Hush explained: “It’s America, June 2022, (and elsewhere, earlier and future) the return of Wade and lost control. But in the inky red brine of the River Rouge, one can float from her natal shore to where the womb is unshackled, free to bear, or to restore. With her head above water and a steely soused gait, she will rid every Wade in the brew or on the banks. For a mother, for a daughter, for a sister; for a pilgrim in the field of a potter. For those who cannot ford the water. She is risen and has rejected the bridle.” The global Women in Lighting project (also supported by formalighting) started in 2019 and inspired Light Collective to look at all aspects of representation in the field of light. They found and researched more than 150 women creating light-based art, which led to the curation of a book: Collected Light Volume 1: Women Light Artists. The book is a small step towards trying to redress the unfair imbalance in visibility for female light artists and is available for purchase online. www.lightcollective.net www.formalighting.com