REBECCA KENT

This watercolour self portrait is a contemporary take on Raphael's 'Sistine Madonna' (see right). I have depicted myself staring out the window, my head literally in the clouds, in a time when being outside seems like a distant memory, already in our third lockdown. The painting is presented through a window, playing with the idea of looking out and looking in, with windows reflected in the eyes.

My work primarily concerns stillness, the voice and the landscape. Within this busy, chaotic world I make work that encourages viewers to slow down, embrace the stillness and find their own inner silence. My video pieces, often depicting the landscape, sunlight and shadows, or leaves moving in the wind draw attention to the beauty and subtleties of every day life that many people would not take the time to acknowledge. I also combine these videos with drawings or prints to create a layer of texture and ambiguity.

Sound is also an important aspect of my work, in particular using my own voice. I have recorded choral and folk songs as well as experimental sounds, exploring different aspects and limits of my voice. I explore how the voice can interact with sounds from the landscape, embracing the unpredictable nature of the wind, trees and birds. Through the making process of my work I have discovered a significance in the idea of vessels. The body, hollow trees and clay pots become vessels to carry and embody the voice or a choir of voices, exploring the relationship between humans and the landscape. Ideally I would display my work in an installation setting, exhibiting drawings and prints, videos, sound work and sculptures in an interactive space, either in a gallery or in the landscape itself.