Alec Stevens
Stevens reveals a certain playful quality in the daily world around us. They fuse craft practice (fine wood carving) and fine art ideas to create works which are humorous, revealing and thought-provoking.
While exploring concepts, whether linked to a specific historic location or to the urban setting, they use wood and emerging technology to create dramatic experiences that unlock hidden or overlooked narratives.
Stevens currently lives and works in Bristol, UK where they hold a sculpture workshop within BV Studios.
Works
Sausage Fest
I was invited by the West Dean College of Arts & Conservation to be their Maker in Residence in March 2020. I spent two weeks at the College, working alongside students in the College’s Fine Art and Furniture workshops, creating a new body of work that referenced the College’s Collection and Archive.
Whist in residence I developed artworks centred around the researching of Edward James’ (1907 – 1984) and their surrealist commissioned interiors and objects within their many estates. This inquirery led to my production of many wooden sausages with the intention to create a section of herringbone parquet flooring to showcase to EJ to tempt him to fill a whole room.
With the outbreak of Covid-19, my residency was cut short and the production and showing of the work had been postponed.
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In response to the pandemic, I applied for Art Council England funding to develop ways of working with archive collections at distance. This resulted in becoming West Dean’s first remote Artist in Residence to continue my investigation and complete said artwork and create a larger body of work.
During the summer / autumn of 2020 I will be continuing to make new works that are directly inspired by the collections at West Dean as well as linking with other archives and institutions.
That Sinking Feeling
I was chosen through a call-out application to be part of ‘Wetlands Unravelled’. A staggered, commissioned group show within the London Wetland Centre in Barnes, London. The exhibition is organised by Unravelled Arts.
“Wetlands Unravelled will challenge artists to respond to this unique wetland environment by exploring issues of conflict through conservation, climate change and migration.” – Unravelled Arts
Reacting to the climate emergency, I am making works directed linked to rising sea levels around the planet. Reminiscent of architectural models, I am making three sculptures of venacular buildings from locations where signs of sea level rise are evident and soon to be effected. When installed they will be submerged in a pond at various levels in accordance to current information related to high tides.
Originally scheduled to be displayed from March 2020 this exhibition is current postponed due to Covid-19.