Chameleons and Shapeshifters – Micheal Shaw Exhibition

New exhibition at City Gallery – Chameleons and Shapeshifters

Michael Shaw is an artist whose practice includes drawing, sculpture, installation and animation. He often works local to the area, having curated and had installation work displayed at Burghley Sculpture Garden. Most of Michael’s work is initially explored virtually in Computer Aided Design (CAD) software and is then produced using computer aided manufacture such as laser cutting or rapid prototyping. He aims to create a beautiful, complex and rich experience for the viewer, from apparently simple means.

Michael’s practice centres on sculpture and architecture through giant inflatables that respond to, and are defined by, the features of the surrounding architecture. He is also interested in how viewers move around his sculptures and this is the focus of forthcoming work in which dancers will interact and change the form of various sculptures. Other interests include the relationship between line, plane and volume, as well as forms he describes as ‘points of contact’ that touch more than one surface, such as the wall and floor or ceiling and wall.

This dynamic exhibition won’t stay still and won’t stay the same colour for long. Its site-specific centrepiece features a giant breathing inflatable that will wind around the architecture, rising up into the gallery’s skylights. Intestinal parasite or oversize snake? Threatening or benign? It is for you to decide. The kinetic beast will be complemented by smaller sculptures whose surfaces appear to change colour as the viewer moves around them.

For further information about Michael and his work, visit www.michaelshaw.org