Biography
Liz West makes intensely coloured installation, video and photographic works from arrangements of found materials and consumer goods. In the work objects are densely arranged and enclosed within constructed spaces, such as cupboards and shelves or in containers such as shopping trolleys and cabinets to form compacted colour masses or gradations.
West is interested in the aesthetic of densely packed and richly coloured arrangements and displays found in shops, markets and museums. In her work, she creates sensory experiences in the form of richly saturated installations that immerse the viewer in a kaleidoscopic or optical environment.
Systems of ordering, classification and coding are applied in the development and generation of work. Boundaries are established, which determine both what is collected and where it is collected from.
In a recent series of photographs, manufactured colour found in the urban and domestic environment is grouped together to create colour charts. In these West is interested in the intense and concentrated colour found in synthetic materials and in artificial light.
West is concerned with the psychological influence of colour, its effect and sensory impact upon the viewer. In the installation Yellow Chamber a large collection of yellow objects were positioned to form an ambiguous landscape, produced using numerous mirrors which multiplied and extended the objects through reflection. The colour yellow induces feelings of optimism and warmth, however it is also associated with drug-use and warning-signs, it is overpowering when used in large quantities.
