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Helena Hunter is an artist whose practice spans visual art, literature and performance. Her work is movement/body based and explores ideas of initiation and metamorphosis. Her work is concerned with the imagination and its potential to incite transformation and change. She is committed to questioning ways of seeing and believing and challenging the divide between the real and imagined.
Helena is an Artsadmin bursary artist; she has studied with Marina Warner and recently presented work for The Foundation for Women’s Art at the Uncanny Tales Exhibition that featured the artists Paula Rego, Marcelle Hanselaar Ana Maria Pacheco and Oona Grimes. Her most recent performance work Tracing Shadows premiered at Chelsea Theatre and was presented at Chapter Arts Centre Cardiff, Royal Opera House London and NRLA 2008. Helena has also worked with Shunt, The People Show, Marisa Carnesky, Gary Stevens and Manuel Vason, she has been mentored by Simon Vincenzi and Gary Carter.
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CURRENT WORK
Myths & Metamorphosis | National Review of Live Art
The Arches Glasgow | Weds 11th & Thurs 12th Feb 2009
Helena Hunter presents a series of mythic monsters, hybrid forms, and bodily transformations in Myths & Metamorphosis, an installation combining film, sound, and photographic works. The installation draws inspiration from Greek myths, in particular Ovid’s Metamorphosis a series of mythological tales exploring how bodies are magically changed into other bodies.
In Myths & Metamorphosis Helena explores Ovid’s text as visual language using her body as subject to retell the myths. The focus of the work is desire and the psychosexual qualities of the myths. The stories depicted explore mutations and acts brought about by emotions too extreme for the body to contain, riddled with desire and tragic longing the images are often comic and grotesque. The figurative works explore the embroilment of the natural and the human world with the supernatural and make-believe.
Myths & Metamorphosis is currently in research and development and will be presented at The National Review of Live Art on Weds 11th and Thurs 12th February 2009.
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Tracing Shadows
An intensely imagined performance that goes beyond narrative and representation to the rumblings of the unconscious and the conflicts that lurk in the shadows of the mind. The performance is based on a cruel and magical tale about a young girl’s struggle with an enchanted blue dress, as it steals her voice, sews itself to her skin, and takes over her body. Helena Hunter presents a solo movement piece that explores the process of female initiation addressed in the tale.
Tracing Shadows was created in collaboration with Chiara Ambrosio (lighting design) and Mark Wright (sound design). The performance was first developed at Chelsea Theatre, London for the Sacred Season, and was developed with support from Artsadmin’s Bursary Scheme. The performance toured in 2007/2008 and was presented at Chapter Arts Centre (Cardiff) Experiementica 07, Royal Opera House (London) Firsts 07, Tramway Theatre (Glasgow) National Review of Live Art 08.
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Body & Landscape
A performance for camera project exploring the interaction between the body and the landscape of the North Yorkshire Moors. The project uses the myths and legends from the local area as a stimulus for the images.
To purchase Body & Landscape prints please email: [email protected]
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