Frédérique Swist

biography o/o gallery o/o exhibitions o/o commissions o/o published work o/o contact


Press Release

The Faculty of Arts, York St John University and Bar Lane Studios present together for the first time artists Greg Bright, Tracey Holland, Luke Jerram and Frédérique Swist in a new exhibition themed around art, science and neutrality.

The show, entitled Sphere of Accuracies/Zone of Truth explores a shared interest in and fascination with the complex and often problematic relationship between art and science within the wider context of critical art practice. Thus, unlike the increasing number of shows intent on simply illustrating the perceived links between the so-called “two cultures”, Sphere of Accuracies/Zone of Truth embarks on a more challenging course that is primarily engaged with questions of truth and knowledge, presentation and representation, objectivity and neutrality rather than the often spurious parallels drawn between the aesthetic and the scientific.

The exhibition runs 5 to 31 March and presents selected artworks in various media, including light installation, digital print, painting, drawing and glasswork. For more information, please contact the gallery: Email: ben@BarLaneStudios.com or visit the website www.BarLaneStudios.com

About the artists

Tracey Holland:
Tracey’s practice uses the photographic medium to create carefully composed and layered imagery. She employs backlighting, projections and glass to compose scenes depicting richly imagined landscapes, reflecting both an inner and outer world. She gets her inspiration from natural phenomena found in the physical and natural sciences, as well as psychological archetypes and ancient mythologies. Her work has been presented in group and solo exhibitions across the country as well as abroad, and most recently in the Toronto and New York 2010 art fairs. In 2007, she was offered a residency at the Bakken Museum of Electricity, Minneapolis, USA. Some of the artworks from this residency are presented in the show. Tracey has received numerous awards and her work has been acquired by various collections including those of the Arts Council and the Wellcome Trust. www.traceyholland.co.uk


Light installation of transparent photographic panels from the series "Electro-light", 2004 - © Tracey Holland


Greg Bright:
Musician, composer, actor, painter, writer, Greg gained recognition as the world’s leading maze designer and maker, with his work published in the bestselling Fontana Maze books, and the design of the famous hedge maze at Longleat. Abandoning music composition and maze design, he moved into a period of intense academic research in the 1980s, receiving a First Class Honours Degree from Sussex in philosophy and literature, and a further First Class Degree in maths and physics. The paintings presented in this show are the product of an extraordinary engagement with art history, philosophy, mathematics and geometry. Bright lives as a virtual recluse on the English coast, devoting his time to writing a novel.


Detail from "The Going of Man", acrylic on board, 135 x 75 cm, 1995 - © Greg Bright


Luke Jerram:
Based in Spike Island Studios in Bristol, Luke has gained much visibility in recent years with public art projects such as “Play me, I’m yours”, displaying over 400 pianos across cities around the world for the public to enjoy; or the “Sky Orchestra” performance artwork, involving hot air balloons with speakers attached creating a surround-sound experience. It is his series of stunning glasswork replicas of viruses that gave him wide coverage in the press and excited interest from galleries worldwide, a selection of which will be displayed in this show. www.lukejerram.com


Left: "Untitled future mutation"; right: "Smallpox, HIV and Untitled" - © photographs Luke Jerram


Frédérique Swist:
Artist and graphic designer for the academic science publisher IOP Publishing (part of the Institute of Physics), her interest lies in the latest research in physics and the complex problems associated with the aesthetic visualisation of scientific concepts and phenomena related to extreme scale, distance and mathematical abstraction: the “end of representation”. Using the digital medium for image-making and output, her artworks have been exhibited in Bristol, London, Budapest and St Petersburg, and commissioned by the Centre for Nanoscience and Quantum Information, University of Bristol, Aston University, and York St John University.


From Left to right: "Nanoparticle gold ring" 2008; "Quadrature nodes" 2008/09; "Atom trajectories" (2006) © Fred Swist


Special thanks to:

York St John University:
The Faculty of Arts at York St John University, with its commitment to critical art practice, collaborative creativity and interdisciplinarity, has provided the academic context and intellectual climate within which to originate and develop this project. As part of its long-term strategy of civic engagement and the promotion of creative enterprise, the Faculty’s partnership with Bar Lane Studios provides a perfect forum for the testing and realisation of innovative thinking and cutting edge practice. www.yorksj.ac.uk

Bar Lane Studios:
Opened in May 2010, Bar Lane Studios is a non-profit organisation, offering studio space for artists, courses, workshops and support for the creative community in visual arts, performance and new media. Artworks from high-profile names such as Dalí, Matisse, Warhol and Piper have been among a series of exhibitions presented at Bar Lane during 2010. www.BarLaneStudios.com

IOP Publishing:
IOP Publishing provides publications through which leading-edge scientific research is distributed worldwide. IOP Publishing is central to the Institute of Physics (IOP), a not-for-profit society. Beyond our traditional journals programme, we make high-value scientific information easily accessible through an ever-evolving portfolio of community websites, magazines, conference proceedings and a multitude of electronic services. publishing.iop.org

Creative York:
The Creative York network supports the growth of the creative industries in York and the surrounding area. The network promotes the use of technology to develop the sector as well as providing opportunities to share knowledge and collaborate with other members. Membership of Creative York is FREE and is open to individuals and businesses working in and with this vibrant and growing area. www.scy.co.uk/creative-network

Bioscience York:
Bioscience York is one of three technology business clusters that are part of the Science City York initiative. It was established in 1995 and over the decade has grown to a network of over 130 organisations throughout York and the surrounding area. www.scy.co.uk/bioscience-network