stephanie buttle

Film and images taken from performances during the Craftsmanship Alone Is Not Enough. Group Exhibition, 17Jan – 11 Feb 2017 /  Lethaby gallery.

Film credits: Dir of Photography Alexander Melman.  Editor Emma Mc Cleave.  Music Anna Meredith - track 'Honeyed Words'

 Position 6 (Working Title), 2017

Ceramic, rope, rubber bike tubing

 Stephanie Buttle’s new work reflects her search for, and discovery of, an aliveness and performative experience within her ceramic practice. The working title, Position 6, describes a 6th ballet position that in classical ballet training does not exist. The sculptural work takes on an abstract figurative representation, offering a narrative around the politics of intimacy and the complexities of relationship. The physical interaction of the artist (performance) with the work/material is the beginning of a new exploration within a developing practice.

The ceramic work is held in an ‘off balance’ stance, putting the material and techniques under stress, creating and emphasising fragility. The appendages are detached but remain part of the main structure, evoking a feeling of abstract pathos and tension. There is also a subtext of criticism aimed at the conservative dogma of aspects of a classical training, and the restrictive opinions held within it.

‘My physicality was always in this work and it was interesting figuring our whether the form came from me, or whether the work determined I copy its position – a relationship that can be altered and explored in each new iteration. Also within the piece is a potential for failure, an exciting alternative to a previous way of working that was rehearsed until there was no room for chance. The live performance creates an opportunity for uncertainty and spontaneity, to potentially make something unexpected, or just to be ordinary.’