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Sophy King

email: sophking@hotmail.com

tel: 07736438161

 

 

I am a multidisciplinary environmental artist, investigating the intersection of human activity and environment, working with natural and man-made materials using a pared-down aesthetic. Walking, mapping and research are integral to my process. Durational and process-driven work recognizes narratives of place, time and human interactions with the non-human. I explore a sense of place through socially engaged commissions and interventions on site, working with communities and ecologies.

 

My practice considers the Anthropocene, deep time and vibrant matter, examining ecological systems, processes and phenomena in relation to the climate crisis. I’ve focussed on peat moorlands around Manchester; investigating their social, economic, and ecological context; exposing the nature of our relationship with our environment.

 

During lockdown I began using film, conveying narratives and experiences. I have been open-water swimming throughout the pandemic, and this began to feature in my work. I was awarded a bursary from the Liverpool Biennial to develop this new direction, experimenting with waterproof camera, sound equipment and editing software, conveying the experience of immersion.

  RECENT WORK

2021-                      Rogue Rewilding; addressing the biodiversity crisis

2022                       Spark member; artist’s network addressing the climate crisis

2022                       Para-Lab member; science/art research collaborations

2021-22                 SUSTAIN Digital Artist Exchange

Digital residency with a focus on low-carbon artmaking; commissioned by Castlefield Gallery, Manchester UK and Aarhus Billedkunstcenter, Aarhus Denmark

 

AWARDS

2021                 LBxan Artists Bursary                                

Bursary awarded by the Liverpool Biennial, a-n Artists Network and Open Culture to develop an audio-visual piece about water and swimming; Adjusted Horizons

2006                 LANDSCAPE INSTITUTE AWARD          L. Arch. GDip Exhibition, MMU     

2005                 BRONZE MEDAL                                        Show Garden RHS Tatton Park

 

RESIDENCIES

2018-9             Moors for the Future, Edale                       Self-initiated Environmental Art Residency

                                                                                                     embedded with MftF

2018                 CAMP, Aulus-les-Bains, France                Residency/workshop with Nils-Udo

2016                 I-Park Foundation, Connecticut, USA      Environmental Art Residency

2013                 Our Museum                                                 Residency, Paul Hamlyn Foundation

 

EDUCATION

2019                 MA Fine Art (Distinction), Manchester School of Art

2007                 BLA Landscape Architecture, Manchester Metropolitan University

1992                 BA(Hons) 3D Design (wood, metal, ceramics, glass) Manchester Polytechnic       

 

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2022                PARALAB REPORT            Seesaw Space, Manchester

2019                 MA/MFA                                HOME, Manchester

2019                 MANIFESTATION              Rogue Project Space, Manchester

2019                 CATALYST                             Grosvenor Gallery, Manchester

2019                 BORDERLINE                      Curator and exhibitor, Leaf, Manchester

2017                 MANIFEST 2017                  ArtWork Atelier, Manchester

2017                 PROOF II                              Robert Burt Gallery, London

2017                 MONO                                   PS Mirabel, Manchester

2016                 OPEN STUDIOS                  I-Park Foundation, Connecticut, USA

2012                 ALLERY GALLERY             Curator: pop-up gallery and events, Manchester                

 

SELECTED COMMISSIONS

2018                 Talk to the Trees                               Community engagement, Lead Artist, Preston

2016                 Birds of Passage                               Public Artwork, RSPB Sculpture Trail, Fairhaven Lake

2015                 Reach Art Project                            Public Artwork design for Lytham St Anne Promenade

2013                 Our Museum                                    Participatory artwork, Paul Hamlyn Foundation

2003                 DNA                                                 Public Artwork, Nuffield Hospital, Leeds

2000                 Wave                                                Public Artwork, Saltash, Cornwall

1998                 Sundial                                               Public Artwork, Mile End, London

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