Lisa Risbec
I begin with collecting and accumulating, then I stitch, print and craft; slow processes that let me think. Ceramic rememberings, a weighted quilt filled with pebbles, moving image with fragmented narrative, the sound of voice and the sea. I combine all of these elements to make or find meaning and use writing as a way to work out how I feel, to bring the story together.
The work has a tactile, material presence. Found fabrics, archival tape, wooden objects, pebbles. Things reused and reworked. It feels temporal and heavy with association. There’s a visual order, things arranged aesthetically and precisely. Grids appear frequently. There is performance to camera, ‘archival’ gestures - collect-sort-categorise-store with a playful quality. And there's a particular palette, the colour of old documents, oxidised metals and faded textiles, mixed with vibrant, softened colours. Dusty rose, teal, soft blues, oranges and deep earthy tones. Soft and bright. The colours of dreams and memories. The sound is subtle, beds of drone like pebbles crashing to the sea, dreamlike resonant sounds, meditative and thoughtful.
I use writing to uncover another layer to the work and I think about archives and bodies, materiality, memory and personal narrative. Considering how objects are charged, how loss and grief can be symbolised in objects and how archival systems or gestures can be used as a framework for practice and to understand emotions.
Helping Artists Keep Going
Axis is an artist-led charity supporting contemporary visual artists with resources, connection, and visibility.