Helen Snell – Liquid Landscapes

We first encountered Helen Snell with her Two Short Nights film festival awards, with her subversion of commercial packaging and perverting tested notions of materialism – perfect for the inaugural awards for the Exeter festival.

Originally from Exmouth, she studied Fine Art and French at Exeter University and also at L’Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts de Dijon. She set up an artists’ cooperative in Brighton, then established a mural design company in Ladbroke Grove. Followed by an MA course in Fine Art Printmaking at Camberwell College of Arts and studying Illustration at the Royal College of Art.

She’s exhibited widely, including a solo show at Edinburgh Printmakers in 2008, and has even designed the costumes for a production of A Winter’s Tale.

We asked Helen to share her experience of being collaborating artist with the dance troupe TaskForce as they prepare for their Liquid Landscapes performances. Her focus is the Mayflower steps, Plymouth.

Task Force and Liquid Landscapes come to South Devon

“Liquid Landscapes is a three-year triptych based on the theme of water and began in Los Angeles, California in 2008. It will continue this summer at seven historically, culturally and ecologically significant water-related sites in the Plymouth area, Buckland Abbey and Dartington And goes on to Essen City, Germany in 2010.”

Liquid Landscapes Diary 1

“This is a whole new departure for me. I have never worked with a choreographer before, nor have I immersed my work in water!”

Liquid Landscapes Diary 2

“Despite the proposed piece being entirely improvised over the course of an intensive three-week rehearsal period in June, the fact that all was to play for at this stage was hugely galvanising and a little daunting.”

Liquid Landscapes Diary 3

“Did some sketches, made up the prototypes out of white card and emailed all to Stephan.”

Liquid Landscapes Diary 4

“I had a few sheets of mirror card in my studio left over from a previous project, so I decided to cut out the boat net from these to see the effect.”

Liquid Landscapes Diary 5

“I have experimented with recycled coloured card. The colours are slightly faded 1950s, reminiscent of old school exercise books.”

Liquid Landscapes Diary 6

“I worked all morning making some prototypes. The afternoon light was fantastic, shafts of sunshine entering the lavoir through the pillared entrance, dark angular shadows and sharp reflections in the water, like a mirror.”