Michael Petry: In the Realm of the Gods
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A solo exhibition at The Holburne Museum
Bath October 20, 2017 – February 25, 2018 The Holburne Museum has invited Petry to make a new feature installation and to place two other pieces in relation to existing works in their collection. The main installation called A Line Lives in the Past and the Future consists of a very large glass ley line (approximately 8 meters) that will run down the centre of the central gallery. The work, which looks as if it is Neolithic, is made up of 17 large sand cast pieces of glass – each unique, and made by Petry using his hands to dig out the form in the sand. Ley Lines have an historic and metaphysical importance in Great Britain, yet the phrase only came into common usage in 1921 when Alfred Watkins coined it to describe the relatively straight lines found between Neolithic sites. He proposed that ley lines were geographic formations with mystic (Druidic) connections. The city of Bath has many ley lines including the most famous – between the Royal Crescent and the Circus, which many believe to represent the Sun and the Moon. The glass hotwork has been made in conjunction with the staff and students at the Plymouth College of Art as part of their professional development. The glass cold work has been done by Fiaz Elson. Petry’s integrated works include his Libation to Virgo (Aphrodite), a new work made of silvered porcelain stars hung on the gallery walls placed above the Crouching Venus sculpture in their collection. The final piece is one of his performance sculptural works from his MAP Unit series. These works are exactly the artist’s height, and made from real pearls strung on silk cord by jewellers to the Crown. The work can be worn as a performance (called Wearing Michael Petry’s Pearl Necklace) or as a measuring unit placed directly on the walls as at The Holbourne. Michael Petry will be conducting a talk at The Holburne on the 20th of February Download the catalogue holburne.org Artlyst |
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