Artist and sound therapist Tony Spencer has created an extraordinary opportunity for people with neurodiverse experiences and disabilities to engage with art through the combined senses of sight and sound.
Spencer, an artist with dyslexia, has been awarded Arts Council England funding to create unique sculptures made from reclaimed pallet wood and based on the forms of platonic geometry and the five associated elements of Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Aether.
Spencer will exhibit his work at the following three regional galleries:
• Artspace Portsmouth
Fri 23 Oct – Sun 1 Nov 2020
• Chapel Arts Studios, Andover
Sat 21 Nov – Sun 5 Dec 2020
• spudWORKS, Sway
Sat 10 April – April 2021
CAS Associate Artist, Tony Spencer says:
“I want to provide a multi-sensory experience for people who may not usually connect with art or a gallery. Geometry is accessible, it’s universal to all life on this planet. I’ve incorporated therapeutic sounds into each work, that are activated by movement in the gallery. This changes the function of a space, offering the visitor a positive feeling of wellbeing”.
Multi-sensory art experiences offer people an opportunity to explore artwork in a way that embraces neurodiverse experiences and disabilities. Tony Spencer’s five geometric sculptures are 90cm in diameter and they each have accessible interior spaces that manipulate light and create visual illusions, such as finite darkness, infinite reflection, colour and texture. Each sculpture incorporates audience activated sounds mathematically connected to its geometry.
Phil Gibby, Area Director, South West, Arts Council England, says:
“We are thrilled to support No Thing ‘is’ Immediate through our National Lottery Project Grants funding programme. At the Arts Council we believe that arts and culture has a positive impact on wellbeing, and this project achieves that through a unique combination of sculpture and sound. Through his innovative approach to inclusivity, artist Tony Spencer will enable more people to experience the great benefits that cultural activity can bring.”
Nothing ‘is’ Immediate is supported by public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
Tony has invited four local artists Maija Liepins, Christine Dodd, Kate Street and Terence Noble, to join him in creating new work in response to the tangible and sacred aspects of the of the five elements earth, water, fire, air, and aether. Together they will present a platform for a series of streamed events, therapeutic sound baths, performances and poetry, that invite viewers to engage through sensorial visual and audio elements.
