Sophie Clements

Attempting to Delay the Inevitable

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Exhibition in the Philip J. Steele Gallery runs through February 16, 2018.

About the Lecture

Sophie Clements combines the science of image capture with the poetics of motion and the seduction of the impossible to create objects from a single moment in time. Underpinned by a rigorous research practice Clements’ work documents transitory states between two absolutes in an attempt to capture an ephemeral moment while simultaneously celebrating the impossibility of doing so. Pairing meticulous and rigorous filming techniques with the inherent chaotic nature of her chosen materials, Clements produces temporal sculptures that explore the futility of our human tendency to attempt to prevent or delay moments of change or disintegration. In this lecture, Clements spoke about and shared excerpts of her current body of work, discussing its influences from science and experimental music, and shed light on the complex and exciting process of making these works.

Sophie Clements’ Collapsing Time series lecture was presented in conjunction with a solo exhibition in RMCAD’s Philip J. Steele Gallery that runs through February 16, 2018.

About the Artist

Sophie Clements is a London-based artist whose work occupies a space between filmmaking, sculpture, and sound. Her solo works have been exhibited in galleries and museums internationally, including the Barbican Centre and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Dolby Headquarters in San Fransicso, the Seoul Museum of Art in South Korea, and The National Museum of Contemporary Art in Oslo, among others. Clements’ interdisciplinary work with music includes a three channel film piece with long-term collaborator, composer J. Peter Schwalm, for the contemporary music ensemble Icebreaker, which toured the United Kingdom in 2013 and 2014. She collaborated with electronic composer Scanner and video artist Tal Rosner on a video piece for Thomas Ades' arrangement of Nancarrow's studies 6 and 7, and continues to collaborate on live performances with J. Peter Schwalm. These collaborative and cross-disciplinary works have been shown in international venues including The Science Museum and The Royal Opera House in London, FACT Liverpool, PUNKT in Norway, the Dublin National Concert Hall in Ireland, and Hamburg North German Radio (NDR). Clements teaches and acts as artistic director at various arts and music universities and colleges in London. She won the Jerwood Moving Image Prize for Film and Video in 2008.

Learn more about Clements at sophieclements.com

additional RMCAD community events 

The artist also be participated in the following events with RMCAD students, faculty, and staff:

Next Day Q+A Luncheon with Sophie Clements

Wednesday, January 17, 2017
RMCAD faculty, staff, and students joined the VASD Program and Sophie Clements for a casual Q+A session over lunch. This intimate gathering provides an opportunity to further discuss ideas presented in the previous night's lecture and a place for students to further engage with our special guest.

4d Workshop with Sophie Clements 

Students in the Foundations course, 4D Design: Stills to Motion, engaged with the artist in a half-day workshop exploring registration in stop motion animation.                                                                                   

Clements' SUGGESTED READING LIST

We ask each of our visitors to provide a list of media and materials that are connected to the visitor's work, interests, and inspirations. Items suggested by Sophie Clements can be found here.