Artist Statement
Located between live art, visual art, architecture and writing, Helen Stratford has a social practice. She develops site-specific interventions, including live events, video-works, speculative writing and artists’ books, that use humour in searching for modalities to expand and critique architectural conventions.
The Day of the Duck (2018), made with artist Lawrence Bradby, is a ‘Duck Noir’ that evolved out of the residency A Day with a Duck, Ely (2012/13). Published by Marmalade Publishers of Visual Theory, it explores Englishness, divisions between the urban and the rural, pseudo public space and what it is to be considered an unwelcome migratory visitor in contemporary Britain through the eyes of a particularly pesky Muscovy duck. The book was selected by a-n as one of the top 10 artists’ books of 2018 and, in 2019, featured in Manchester International Festival in Animals of Manchester a Pantheon of Performing Animals, curated by Live Art Development Agency (LADA) Whitworth Gallery, as well as forming part of The Cambridge Show at Kettle’s Yard.
Artist Biography
Helen’s work and research has been presented at Fermynwoods Contemporary Art, g39 and Oriel Davies Gallery: Wales, Kettle’s Yard, Wysing Arts Centre and Aid & Abet: Cambridge, Furtherfield, Transitions Gallery, RIBA, National Theatre, Tate Modern and ICA: London, Primary: Nottingham, MSB2015 Bloc Projects, Yorkshire Artspace and SIA Gallery: Sheffield, Akademie Solitude: Stuttgart, Center for Contemporary Arts: Celje, Škuc Gallery and P74: Ljubljana. Selected artist for Oslo Architecture Triennale, Oslo National Museum Autumn 2019, Helen is also currently completing a residency with Yorkshire Sculpture Park focusing on developing an artwork for their grounds, with artist Idit Elia Nathan.
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Social media
twitter - @Helen_Stratford website - www.helenstratford.co.uk
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