Phyllidia Barlow is a sculptor who was born in 194 and has gained a huge reputation by her massive installations which are not made from stone or marble or any particular metal but the sort of everyday things which anyone could come by without great expenditure or the need to find specialist suppliers. She uses things such as cardboard, fabric, timber, polystyrene, plaster, and even cement. What she makes are amazing 3D pieces which use the space around them as much as the pieces themselves.
She tries to contrast things which are not constant and are unbalanced and unattached which is the complete opposite of the usual sculptural works which hope to achieve permanence and defy time. One of her pieces which I saw which I don’t know the title of, was in a large room, and was old timbers, held erect by what looked like sacking covered with scrim. They were arranged in a circle and reminded me of the upside down Seahenge at Holme-next-the Sea on a Norfolk beach. That henge was over 4,000 years old, and it was the space contained within the timbers which was sacred, not the posts themselves. Barlow’s exhibit was indoors and we could not take photos of it; it was impressive and interesting, with daubs of apint upon the worn and weathered wood.
Lois Elsden 