Maddy Gale
Light is often overlooked . Being exposed to it so regularly , we become unaware of its significance . Inspired by this idea , I aimed to explore the properties of light through photography , painting and sculpture . This interlinks with my work as a Physics student ; here I have investigated wave properties and different light phenomena , some examples of which are thin film interference and internal reflection .
An artist who has significantly influenced my work is Patrick Caulfield . Like him , I used vibrant block colours to highlight how light can interact with its environment . One way in which I achieved this is through documenting coloured shadows made by a wire sculpture with watercolour pencils to materialise the light . More recently , I have been reflecting on the work of Olafur Eliasson . In light of his innovative pieces , I began to focus more significantly on reflection and refraction . For this , I have been using holographic vinyl in a multitude of ways . I started by taking photographs of the infinite ways that the vinyl can distort light . I then documented this by painting my observations onto clear acrylic blocks – by leaving areas bare , I have emphasised the ways in which light can interact with materials to create beautiful reflections . Finally , I have been working on a sculpture which uses the vinyl itself to shine light around its environment , this being both the exhibition space and the viewer .