Solstice Ritual

Solstice Ritual was an exhibition and commission for Penarth Pier Pavilion from 17 June - 10 July 2016. Liz West made a slight but significant alteration to the experience of the Gallery space, applying optically transparent coloured vinyl to the 306 window panes that result in the space being bathed in yellow and hot pink. Liz West creates vivid environments that mix luminous colour and radiant light. Working across a variety of mediums, West aims to provoke a heightened sensory awareness in the viewer through her works. She is interested in exploring how sensory phenomena, in this case the light from the 1930’s Art Deco windows can invoke psychological and physical responses that tap into our own deeply entrenched relationships to colour. Radiating outside of its boundaries and containers, the sharp yellow and hot pink are a supercharged interpretation of sunrise and sunset, when these colours are most prominent and documented. Using the transitional times of day as a key element, the work encourages a consideration of the space we inhabit and visit, as well as our own relationships to colour. Going beyond spectacle, West is sensitive towards the entire arc of human interaction with light and colour, from our most basic first interactions, to our associations and memories we intertwine with colours, and our ongoing relationship with the spectrum.