About Lucy Williams:

"The sense of exhilaration caused by impending destruction reflects the fractured condition of our lives and defines the modern sensibility" (Marshall Berman)

From the beginning of my art practice I have been concerned with illusion and transformation. I am interested in ways of disrupting how we view photographic images and tie this to a subject matter which itself is about transformation and metamorphosis. My photo collages employ traditional and modern techniques using a combination of images as well as framing devices when they are exhibited.

My approach is often to re-work images of the built environment here and abroad, to show alternate and critical ‘views’ of cities which reflect an unstable and dystopic reality. Much of my imagery explores how urban space is transformed, new views generated and how we react when these everyday realities are changed. I am especially interested in how demolition and city ‘regeneration’ affect our physical sense of place, and may disturb or jolt our memories. My building collages start with photographing a building demolition and then cutting and assembling its broken elements to ‘re-construct’ a new view. I may also use specifically sourced images and ‘found’ imagery using the same approach. I am fascinated by urban decay caused by the passing of time as well as the unexpected and expressive images suggested by sun and shadow, darkness and weather.

A related concern is to show images of how war brings material (as well as human) destruction and how this too affects a sense of place. I first produced this type of work in response to the various military interventions in the Middle East and continue to seek images which can be combined to contrast intact Western cities with those whose patterns, streets and landmarks have been destroyed by warfare.

Recently, my collage work has moved into the area of representing people in the urban environment and for this I shoot some images myself but also use source images and imagery derived from advertising and documentary sources to touch on ideas of gender and identity, ‘urban tribe’ and duality. This work is produced much more intuitively allowing for chance and ‘accidental’ combinations to produce the final image. This work is continuing to evolve and, I feel it forms part of a flow or artistic continuum which originates with the early Dada and Surrealist photo collages of the 1920s.

My collages are inspired by the work of Hannah Hoch, Herbert Bayer, Max Ernst and John Heartfield. More contemporary influences include Romare Beardon, Gordon Matta Clark, Christian Marclay and Tom Friedman.

ENJOY THE SITE – Your feedback and comments are welcomed.

 

Exhibitions and shows past and present:

My current art practice concentrates on photo-collage. Last year I won a visual arts prize in Lewisham for a collage on the theme of International Women’s Week.

 

Life in a suitcase: An exhibition of sculpture, sound installation, film, assemblage and photography on, in or about ‘the suitcase’ curated by Lucy Williams.
Click here for your invitation

Private View: Sun 16 Dec 6.30-9pm
Opening Hours: Mon 17 Dec – Sat 22 Dec 2007
Evenings 6.30- 9pm
Saturday 12-4pm
Venue: The Sassoon Gallery
Bar Story
213 Blenheim Grove
London SE15 4QL
Rail : Peckham Rye
Show Information: www.thesassoongallery.co.uk
07866 105 776

Contributors:
Kate Bradbury _Lloyd Clater_Pamela Furness _Anne-Marie Glasheen _Caroline Gregory _Garry Hunter _Matthew Kolakowski _Peter Mackertich
Michael Mayhew _Elisabetta Pancucci _Lucy Williams _David Snoo Wilson

July 2007 Exhibiting at 'A Month of Sundays' Resonance FM fundraising art /music nights, Corsica Studios SE1
June 2007 Large Collage for participation in Actart event , all night body- themed art event , London Bridge, SE1
June 2007 Secret Postcard Show Gillions Art, SW11
May 2007 Anytown - Artist Responses to the Urban Environment - Mascalls Gallery, Kent
May 2007 Arts in Process Group show - Trinity Buoy Wharf , London E14
March 2007 Large scale artwork/installation  for Terra Incognita art/theatre event, in collaboration with Foolish People, 491Gallery, Leytonstone, E11

Visions of Heaven & Hell:
A group show with Collages by Lucy Williams, Photographs by Anne Marie Glasheen and Film and Stills by Maurice Galway: 16-28 June 2006: Nolia’s Gallery @ Thomas A. Becket
322 Old Kent Road, London SE1 5UF. Private View: 16 /06/06

21st June: Workshop event & 23rd June - Poetry & Music Evening

29 June – 12 July: Nolia’s Gallery, 86 Gt Suffolk St London SE1 0BL. ( adjacent to Southwark St, near Tate Modern)

March 06: Nunhead Open 2 - Group Show, The Surgery Artspace SE15

Nov 05: Bermondsey Annual Open, Café Gallery Projects , SE16

June 05: Installation piece, Old Auction House, SE15

Feb 2005: ‘Invited’, Surgery Artspace SE15

Nov/Dec 04: ‘War’ Season, Oh Art Centre, Bethnal Green , London E2

Aug/Sep 04: Architectural collage, Royal Teas Café, London SE10

June 04: ‘Metaformosis’ One person Show, Surgery Artspace SE15,

April 2004: ‘Nine Square Feet’ Surgery Artspace SE15

March 04: International Women’s Week Exhibition, Limelight Gallery, London

Dec 2003: Nunhead Open 1, Surgery Artspace, London SE15

 

 

NEWS

Sept 06 Twisted, Cognitive , Sublime - group show on
theme of Landscape - Escape Bar and Gallery, London SE24

Nov 06 - Cafe Gallery Annual Open, Cafe Gallery SE16

 

 

LINKS:

Foolish people

    Actart

   Arts in progress

    Anne-Marie Glasheen

  Random Artists

   Smoke - a London peculiar

  Derelict sensation

  Website Design, links to sites by Paul Manley

Research and Support

2005 Assisted A. Sherbany – ACGB funding for Exhibition in El Salvador
2002-03 Assisted D. Wienreb – Women’s Centre- funding and installation work
for University of W England, Bristol
2002-03 Assisted A. Sherbany – Appendix B – follow up show in London & Jerusalem
2000-01 Assisted A. Sherbany – ‘Storytime’ ACGB/British Council/FCO sponsored show of Palestinian and Israeli artists, London N1

Education

1972 - 73 Foundation Art , East Ham College, London E15
1973 - 76 BA Fine Art Hons II, St Martins School of Art , London W1
1982 - 83 Teachers Cert - Community & FE Education, Waltham Forest E18

 

Acknowledgements & Picture credits : P. Chedlow, P O’ Driscoll, D Chung,
G. Abdul-Ahad ( Guardian Newspapers ,UK 2003- 04),
Vice Magazine (Italy 2005 ), W Magazine ( USA 2005)

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