Scuplture Walk - Suspended, 2011

Amy Pleasant
Suspended, 2011
Extira plywood and exterior paint

Bio

Amy Pleasant received a BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA from The Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, PA.

She has held solo exhibitions at Jeff Bailey Gallery, NY, The Birmingham Museum of Art, The Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Rhodes College, Tandem Gallery, The Ruby Green Center for Contemporary Art, and The University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Her work has been included in group exhibitions in venues such as The Hunter Museum of American Art, The Weatherspoon Museum of Art, The Columbus Museum of Art, The Wiregrass Museum of Art, The National Museum for Women in the Arts, The Mobile Museum of Art, The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, The Huntsville Museum of Art, Clifford Chance, and The U.S. Embassy, Prague, Czech Republic.

Pleasant’s work has been reviewed in publications such as Art in America, The Brooklyn Rail, Art Papers, The Commercial Appeal and artforum.com.

She currently lives and works in Birmingham, Alabama and is represented by Jeff Bailey Gallery, NYC. 

Artist Statement

Suspended is a “cloudscape” that is an interactive sculpture installation.

Clouds made out of “Extira” (an exterior, formaldehyde-free, plywood) are cut from a CNC router from 6 designs drawn to mimic the shapes of billowy clouds.

This project was inspired by a series of cloud drawings that I made in an attempt to recreate the sensation of being suspended in space like the view from a plane’s window.  I am fascinated by the sense of euphoria that comes from being elevated above the earth and from being removed from one’s day to day existence, if only for a short time.  The cloudscape can also be interpreted as the spiritual passage into a higher place or as a metaphorical transition into higher consciousness.   

When these sculptures are placed outside in a public place the viewer will become the figure in the work and the participatory force in this landscape.  The “cloudscape” will not be there just to be looked at but for the viewer to move into and around.  The audience will insert themselves into the landscape and interact with the environment as an actor does on stage amidst the stage set design. 

I created these sculptures originally for an installation at the Birmingham Museum of Art and were placed in an open air “gallery” in the Sculpture Garden,  accompanied by a wall drawing.

This work will be juxtaposed with the actual sky and it is my intention to create a dialogue between both of these elements.  I think this project will encourage an interesting conversation about the issues of perceived reality/illusion, temporary/permanent installation, audience participation/performance, and the issues that surround art as commodity vs. art as experience.

Website: www.amypleasant.com