Biography
Claire Knill is a multidisciplinary British artist based in Brighton on the south coast of England. Having completed a degree in Multimedia textiles at Loughborough University (2001), Claires work has developed into a practice including sculpture, installation and collage that reflects on themes of distillation, transition, knowing and unknowing through light, movement, balance and colour.
Her work is regularly shown during Artists Open House in Brighton, has been selected for group shows at Regency Town House, Brighton and Folkstone Art, Folkestone and created installation projects internationally (Hong Kong, 2018). Work can be viewed at The Affordable Art Fair, London where she is represented by Lara Bowen Contemporary, her work is held in private collections in the UK and internationally.
Artist's Statement
My practice includes sculpture, installation and collage creating site specific geometric abstract pieces constructed from linear, curved, circular and triangular shapes which are combined, dancing together as suspended sculptures. These are built between dynamic materials created from fine sheet metal such as brass and aluminum, wood, acrylic and glass handled with sensitivity and delicacy.
The sculptures gently move influenced by environmental conditions within the space, they transition, endlessly shape shifting, interacting with one another- as if in a dance. There are temporal moments, layering, revealing, distillation. Endless possibilities can be viewed, equilibrium is sought and overarchingly a sense of serenity is translated through the use of projected and natural light, the way that the shadows are created and pieces within the sculpture are reflected upon one another.
Colour used is both delicate and vivacious, (sometimes disruptive), joyful and optimistic… yellows, greens, oranges, blues, iridescent and golden hues. As they shift and turn in the air, shadow, colour and light is thrown onto adjacent surfaces. Activating everything around them.
Recently I have initiated collaborations with dancers, videographers, and sound artists working with them to create and form a different way of viewing the works, a different physicality, responding to and activating my work in alternative ways.
