Lisa Temple-Cox

Everything and more

Everything and more

Everything and more, 2005

When we were very young

When we were very young, 2005

Walking the maze

Walking the maze, 2005

Everything and more

Half Malaysian and half English, Lisa Temple-Cox grew up between opposing cultures and warring parents. A destructive family life, culminating in the divorce of her parents, deprived her childhood of stability and left her searching for security and permanence in her collections of objects and souvenirs. For her work at Sacy she decided to leave behind the accumulated clutter of her life and arrived with only a few personal items. Her fears of being unable to find suitable materials for her work proved unfounded, hence her title, “Everything and more”.

Boxes are a theme throughout the show, indicative of a need to preserve memories and prevent them from becoming the detritus of a wasted life. Like the artist Joseph Cornell, she has a fascination with the things death leaves behind and the effects of time on that which remains. In “Homage to Cornell” she seeks to transform everyday objects into art by exploring their emotional field.

The red room is a box within a box, which the viewer can enter to experience a carefully ordered representation of the artist’s mind. The red lighting creates an inviting glow, but on entering it seems oppressive. Objects such as the cast head in the title piece are emotionally disturbing and disturbed. From here one passes through a door into the green room, which hints at the pathos of life and provides, with its paintings of butterflies and flowers, a release from the intensity of the red room.

The caged cat skeleton resting on a pile of books is a reference to her late father, the anniversary of whose death falls during her stay at Sacy. “This is not my father” explores death through its remains and expresses the futility of attempting to immortalise a loved one through the incarceration of what is left.

Towards the end of her residency Temple-Cox created a Celtic womb maze on the lawn at Sacy. The meandering spiral has one well-defined path leading to the centre and back out again. There is only one choice to be made, whether or not to enter. “Tout et Plus”, or “Everything and more”, is the tale of an artists’s journey and the labyrinth is an open invitation to individuals to embark on their own voyage.

Since my residency at Sacy I have been involved in several public arts projects. The Riverside Living Project in Halstead Salarybrook underpass mural project Widecombe House residential home garden enhancement project Occasio House, Harlow : mixed media working with disadvantaged young people.

I recreated my Sacy installation in the Benham Gallery at Cuckoo Farm Studios, using local material and including sound and video as well as lights.

I am currently working on a mayor public arts project, “Creative Conveniences”, transforming three public toilets at key tourist locations in Colchester.

I have had an exhibition of my flower paintings, including those I made at Sacy, at Hector Croot in Colchester.

Two upcoming exhibitions, one at Gallery 431 in Slough, the other once more at the Benham Gallery, Cuckoo Farm.

Lisa Temple-Cox

Lisa Temple-Cox Born in 1966 E-mail lisatemplecox@gmail.com Web http://www.lisatemple-cox.co.uk Selected Solo/Collaborative exhibitions
2011

Interstice/Confluence

(with Anne Barclay), Benham Gallery, Colchester, Essex
2010

An Order of Things

, installation, Minories Gallery, Colchester, Essex
2009

The Double-Skinned Shed

, installation, St. Martin’s Church, Colchester, Essex
2008

The Wearable Vanitas and other work

, Platform Gallery, Mistley, Essex

Expérience 1: un Squelette Humain

, Benham Gallery, Colchester, Essex
2007

Day of the Triffids

, site-specific sculpture (with Natasha Carsberg), Cunlhat, France

Enclosure

, installation (with Tim Skinner and Kim Barclay), Benham Gallery, Essex
2006

Everything and More

, Benham Gallery, Cuckoo Farm Studios, Colchester, Essex

Georgia’s Footsteps

, Hector Croot, Colchester, Essex
2005

Everything and More

, site-specific installation, Château de Sacy Selected Group exhibitions
2012

Curious Pursuits

, Portico Library, Manchester

Journey to the Podium

, Beecroft Gallery, Westcliffe on Sea, Essex
2011

Retrofuturology

, Observatory, Brooklyn, New York

The Text is the Text

, Patriot Hall, Edinburgh

The Wheel Turns

, Embrace Arts Centre, University of Leicester

Exhibivent

, Southend Central Library, Southend, Essex
2010

Conversations

, ‘Masters at the Minories’, Colchester, Essex

Paradiso Contrapasso

, Observatory, Brooklyn, NY

Women Artists in 2010

, New Brunswick, Canada

Fluxface in Space

, Fluxmuseum, Texas
2009

Work in Progress

, Minories Gallery and Slackspace Gallery, Colchester, Essex

Base

, TAP pre-launch show, Co-Exist Gallery, Southend, Essex

Art2Wear: Accoutrements

, Ontario International Airport, Los Angeles

Long Nights

, William Angel Gallery, London

Essex Summer of Art

, Hylands House, Chelmsford, Essex
2008

Secrets

, interactive group installation, The Foundry, London

Surrounds

, sculpture trail, Cuckoo Farm Studios, Colchester, Essex

Wearable Expressions

, Palos Verdes Arts Centre, California

Allotments

, Standing Room at Harrington Mills Studios, Nottingham
2007

I came, I saw

, Town Hall Galleries, Ipswich
2004

Dust to Dust

, Arts on 5 Gallery, University of Essex Selected Workshops, Residencies and Public Arts
2011

Our Histories: The Old inside the New

, Peterborough City Hospital: public art project informed by the history of healthcare in Peterborough and a community engagement programmer. Collaboration with Natasha Carsberg.

George Yard Memory Box

, commemorative assemblage artwork informed by public workshops and the history of the site; Braintree.
2010

Journey to the Podium

, Arts workshops and student mentoring at Clacton County High School, collaboration with Olympic hopeful Emma Hollis to create new work.

Olympic Mural

, enabling design and completion of mural in Shorefields School for children with special needs.

Sports and Arts

, Creative Partnerships project, Feering C of E Primary School.

WorldWideRivers

, Creative Partnerships project, Tyrrells School, Chelmsford.
2009

Wickford Library Timeline

, mural with local schoolchildren and residents, Wickford.

Creative Partnerships residency

, Montgomery Infants School, Colchester: working with boxes and found objects to encourage storytelling.

Time Travel Day

, Arts workshop, Wargrave House School, Merseyside.
2008

Creative Conveniences

, public art project, Colchester Arts Development: designs and artwork for public toilets in key tourist locations in Colchester and Dedham. Informed by community engagement with local community and schools, and in collaboration with artists Kate Farley and Andy Hazell.

Lucy Lane Underpass

, design informed by workshops with Stanway School and the community, collaboration with artist David Earl Dixon, Stanway, Colchester.

Monkwick Bunker Project

, working with local schoolchildren and residents to decorate a WW2 bunker, Colchester.
2007

Chinese New Year

, week-long artist residency, Hollytrees Museum, Colchester.

Cave Art

, week-long artist residency, Colchester Castle Museum.

Rowhedge Village Hall

, mural commemorating Rowhedge Heritage, informed and assisted by villagers of all ages.
2006

Salarybrook Mural

, subway mural project working with members of Greenstead Youth Centre and student volunteers from Essex University.
2005

Nature Boxes

, mixed media workshops inspired by the natural history of John Ray. Braintree museum and John Ray Junior School, Braintree, Essex.

Riverside Living Project

, Interpretation panel in Halstead. Working with sculptor Gary Thrussell, Mencap, Colchester and Braintree Museums and River Colne Conservationists.
2004

Tilbury Manor Junior School

, playground murals working with pupils and staff.

Crack!! Under Pressure

, anti-drugs street art project in conjunction with local police and Crimestopper campaign.
2003

St. Marks Hall Estate

, Rochford: working with local families to decorate and rejuvenate an area of waste ground, and design and build an entrance to the field.

Precious Water

, school workshops informing mural design, Chelmsford Central Park
2002

Rural Mural

, joint project with Chelmsford Arts Development and Writtle College, workshops with local schools informing mural design Central Park, Chelmsford. Artist residencies
2011
Wood Institute research residency, Mutter Museum/College of Physicians, Philadelphia
2008

Rainforest/Essex

, Writtle College Centre for Art and Design in the Environment
2008

Painting in Oils

, John C Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, North Carolina
2007

Chantiers des Arts

(with Natasha Carsberg), Cunlhat, France
2005

Everything and More

, Artist in Residence, Château De Sacy
1998

Wavering

, group arts/music installation, Chelmsford, Essex
1997

Ogni Dove

, Artist in Residence, Nation of Damanhur, Piedmont, Italy Curatorial Projects
2011

Outside 11: Artist as Outsider

, cross-mentoring project with Kateryna Denysova, curating an exhibition in the grounds of Cuckoo Farm Studios, Colchester Awards and Prizes
2008
Best in Show: Accessory at

Wearable Expressions

, Palos Verdes Arts, California Art in the Built Environment: Colchester2020 and RIBA Architectural award, for

Creative Conveniences, Lion Walk

Public Collections Morbid Anatomy Library, Brooklyn, New York Fluxmuseum, Fort Worth, Texas Mutter Museum, Philadelphia Colchester Central Library, Essex Colchester Arts Centre, Essex Conference papers
2012

Monsters: Subject, Object, Abject

, Manchester Museum, Manchester

Cultures of Anatomical Collections

, Universiteit Leiden, Netherlands
2011

9th Global Conference: Monsters and the Monstrous

, Inter-disciplinary.net, Mansfield College, Oxford Arts & Research Grants
2011
Wood Institute research fellowship award; Mutter Museum and Historical Medical Library, College of Physicians, Philadelphia Grants for the Arts, Arts Council, England, for

Outside 11: Artist as Outsider

Other Work Art Editor and illustrator for

Do Pigs Dream and other poems

, an anthology of children’s poetry published by Essex County Council Education. Education & Teaching
2010-2011
Certificate of Education (in-service route), Colchester Institute / University of Essex
2009-2011
MA in Arts in a Social Context (Distinction), University of Essex / Colchester Institute School of Art and Design
2007-present
Lecturer (part-time), School of Art, Design and Media, Colchester Institute
1988-1990
E.A.R.A.C Diploma in Applied Arts, School of Art, Design and Media, Colchester Institute
1986-1987
Fine Art Foundation course, Suffolk College School of Art