Berm
September 22 – November 3, 2018
Diverseworks, Houston, TX
Related Materials:
Notes:
Inspired by the concept of the berm, a term that refers to an artificially raised bank or ridge that may serve as a fortification or a separation barrier, Lily Cox-Richard’s new sculptures use reclaimed materials, crafted objects, and the space around them to push up against institutional frameworks and existing architecture to explore modes of viewing, perspective, and accessibility. Within the installation, concrete aggregates made from old bricks, oyster shells, and other debris have been ground down by the artist to reveal other facets of embedded structural systems.
The exhibition takes place on the floor and in the bottom seventeen inches of the gallery, adhering to and highlighting the particulars of the MATCH building: finished wood flooring, ground-level windows, and a patterned brick walkway just outside. The view through the low windows, from the sidewalk, becomes the prime vantage point for the exhibition. Viewers are invited to further shift their perspective by looking through custom scopes, lying on a dolly, or simply taking a knee.
This project expands Cox-Richard’s investigations into the relationships between natural resources, stewardship, labor, landscape, and the built environment in the rapidly developing area of Midtown Houston.
Lily Cox-Richard’s on-site artist residency is supported by DiverseWorks in partnership with Flying Carpet Creative.
Lily Cox-Richard: Berm is organized by Xandra Eden, Executive Director & Chief Curator, DiverseWorks.
List of Works:
Berm, 2018 (reclaimed bricks, glass, oyster shells, reinforced concrete, recycled rubber granulate, five parts; variable dimensions)
Nougat 1, 2018 (wild horse swirl sandstone, felt pads) 7.5 x 11 x 5 in.
Woundwood, 2018 (silicone, epoxy putty, bark, mixed media) 9 x 46 x 81 in.
Hailstones: Grapefruit 2, Softball 1, 2018 (concrete, reclaimed brick) 7 x 13 x 4 in.
Callus, 2018 (fiber-reinforced concrete, urethane foam, pigment) 11 x 63 x 91 in.
Midden, 2018 (fiber-reinforced concrete, rubber granulate) 14 x 29 x 41 in.
Hot Mix, 2016 (gypsum cement, aluminum slag) 12 x 30 x 20 in. Originally commissioned and produced by Artpace San Antonio
Thunder Egg, 2016 (gypsum cement, concrete, trash can, acrylic) 30 x 60 x 56 in. Originally commissioned and produced by Artpace San Antonio
Nougat 2, 2018 (wild horse swirl sandstone, felt pads) 8 x 10 x 4 in.
Hailstone: Tea Cup, 2018 (linen, concrete, mirror) 10 x 7 x 8 in.
Press:
Molly Glentzer, Lily Cox-Richard brings sculpture viewers to their knees, Houston Chronicle, October 22, 2018
Laura August, From the Ground Up: Lily Cox-Richard at Diverseworks, Arts & Culture Texas, September, 2018
Credits:
DiverseWorks and the artist would like to thank the following individuals and organizations for their assistance in making this exhibition possible: Flying Carpet Creative, VCUarts, Laura August, Rachel Cook, Ryan Hawk, Cecily Horton, Cymene Howe, Courtney Khim, Sophie Leung-Wolf, MATCH, Roger Moore,Schuyler Shireman, José Solís, Jacob Villalobos, and all of the friends that contributed food, energy, and love.
Photography by Ryan Hawk