Stop Press: New Work by Victoria Rance in the Park
There is always something exciting happening here at Roche Court. This morning, we had the pleasure of installing a sculpture by Victoria Rance in the summer house. The work was made in 2006 as a part of Rance’s architectural and interactive sculpture series. The steel piece shines a brilliant royal blue in the park.
Victoria said of the work; “A response to Georgian Pulpits in Georgian churches along the Strand, London, where I saw that the height of the pulpits changed over time. The fashion for very high pulpits gradually passed, but at one time staircases became higher and higher.”
Themes of shielding and protecting take centre stage in the work of Victoria Rance. Masks, helmets, armour, and cocoons are constructed from both metal and fabric. They are designed to be worn to protect, and themes of vulnerability come into play.
Stories and narratives permeate Rance’s practice. From caterpillars and worms, to her recurring characters like Medusa, Perseus, and Nuit (goddess of the sky), there is a convergence of the mystical and the commonplace.
Victoria Rance graduated with a BA honours in Fine Art from Newcastle University in 1983, and subsequently an MA from Kingston University in 2009. The artist is currently based at APT Studios in Deptford, London. She was the 2003/4 winner of The Mark Tanner Award for Sculpture, and her work is characterised by interactivity, sculpture and art that the viewer can interact with either physically or in the imagination.
Selected solo exhibitions include The Night Horse and the Holy Baboon at the Cello Factory, London (2017); Creek Dreams, Seager Gallery, London (2022); In Real Life at Cable Depot, Woolwich, London (2021); Spire, The Economist Plaza, London (2000); and Firebird, Cable Depot at Platforms Project, Athens (2022).
Visit the park this summer to see this brilliant work. Directions on visiting can be found here.
General enquires: nac@sculpture.uk.com