exhibitions & events 2017

Siobhan Healy

Siobhan Healy makes work that is concerned with endangered flora and fauna, depicting them as ethereal images, to suggest their transient and delicate circumstances.  Here she has combined imagery from her sculptural works in glass, fibreglass and crystal to create screenprints with oil paint detail and crystal and diamond dust embellishment.

For this exhibition, Healy presents three distinct, yet connected bodies of work. The first series follows on from work relating to Ghost Orchids (Epigogium aphyllum), the most enigmatic of all Britain’s wild flowers. Declared extinct after no sightings for 23 years until, in 2009 a single specimen was discovered near the Welsh Borders which electrified the botanical community.  Healy’s Ghost Orchids are created in hot worked glass to emphasise their fragility. A number of these sculptures exist in prestigious international collections including Harvard University Collection and the Scottish Parliament Art Collection.  Sir David Attenborough CBE has corresponded with Healy regarding the research for this project and there is an ongoing interest.

A second theme relates to the Comma Butterfly (Polygonia c-album). The most remarkable feature of the Comma has been its severe decline in the twentieth century and subsequent comeback. It is now widespread in southern Britain and its range is expanding northwards.

Following on from this interest in conservation and education, Healy attended a research trip to the Darwin Research Station on the Galapagos Islands, in early 2017. This opportunity has led to a new body of work relating to the threatened species of corals, jellyfish and sea anemones that are currently in danger of extinction in the Galapagos Island ecosystem.

Siobhan Healy (b. 1976, Glasgow) studied at Edinburgh College of Art specialising in Glass and Jewellery.  In recent years her artwork has gained prestigious worldwide prizes and can be found in notable museum collections.   Previous clients include - The Scottish Government, The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS), The BBC, Craignish Castle, North Lanarkshire Council, East Dumbartonshire Council and Clackmannanshire Council. Her work is in collections in the UK, India, USA and Dubai. Siobhan has also been a consultant and demonstrated glass-making processes on BBC 1's 'Homes Live' programme and also on BBC 2's geology programme 'Men of Rock' with professor Ian Stewart.

The combination of innovative work combining science, art and environment, which pushes the boundaries of materials, has allowed her to develop her unique contemporary work.

Image: Siobhan Healy, 'Ghost Orchid', 36 x 18cm, digital pigment print.