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Lot Essay
'There is a huge amount of information that I want to get across. They are very much about philosophy and epistemology. I like the strength of conversation that comes from them I like the possibilities of what they could mean to people'
(C. Shawcross, quoted in 'Interview with Conrad Shawcross', reproduced at https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker/exhibitions/shawcross/intervi ew.aspx [accessed 5th June 2013]).
A complex, motorised, spinning weaving device executed in 2003, The Nervous Systems was the first of the Ropemakers series of sculptures that formed the centrepiece of Conrad Shawcross critically acclaimed debut solo show. Imbued with an appearance of scientific rationality, this ingeniously mechanized contraption is hand crafted from burnished lengths of oak. Organised around a series of wooden crosses, The Nervous Systems slowly weaves a colourful rope from spools of unwinding thread. Although taking on the guise of something functional, this is a highly metaphysical, intellectually rigorous work that is designed to represent temporality. Fusing two classical paradigms of Time's Cycle and Time's Arrow, it is the result of the artist's on-going preoccupation with time, and his attempt to 'understand this invisible entity, which is ubiquitous but also unfathomable' (C. Shawcross, quoted in R. Cooke, 'Conrad Shawcross: Tunnel Vision' in The Observer, 11 October 2009).
Conrad Shawcross's painstakingly produced sculptures explore subjects that border philosophy and science. Often appropriating redundant theories and methodologies to create ambitious structural and mechanical montages, Shawcross's work is notable for his use of a wide variety of materials and media, and its epic scale. The end result is often visually dramatic, combining light, movement and sound in enigmatic, complex constructions that are designed deliberately to stimulate the viewer's imagination. Talking about his work he has said: 'There is a huge amount of information that I want to get across. They are very much about philosophy and epistemology. I like the strength of conversation that comes from them I like the possibilities of what they could mean to people' (C. Shawcross, quoted in 'Interview with Conrad Shawcross', reproduced at https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker/exhibitions/ shawcross/interview.aspx [accessed 5th June 2013]).
(C. Shawcross, quoted in 'Interview with Conrad Shawcross', reproduced at https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker/exhibitions/shawcross/intervi ew.aspx [accessed 5th June 2013]).
A complex, motorised, spinning weaving device executed in 2003, The Nervous Systems was the first of the Ropemakers series of sculptures that formed the centrepiece of Conrad Shawcross critically acclaimed debut solo show. Imbued with an appearance of scientific rationality, this ingeniously mechanized contraption is hand crafted from burnished lengths of oak. Organised around a series of wooden crosses, The Nervous Systems slowly weaves a colourful rope from spools of unwinding thread. Although taking on the guise of something functional, this is a highly metaphysical, intellectually rigorous work that is designed to represent temporality. Fusing two classical paradigms of Time's Cycle and Time's Arrow, it is the result of the artist's on-going preoccupation with time, and his attempt to 'understand this invisible entity, which is ubiquitous but also unfathomable' (C. Shawcross, quoted in R. Cooke, 'Conrad Shawcross: Tunnel Vision' in The Observer, 11 October 2009).
Conrad Shawcross's painstakingly produced sculptures explore subjects that border philosophy and science. Often appropriating redundant theories and methodologies to create ambitious structural and mechanical montages, Shawcross's work is notable for his use of a wide variety of materials and media, and its epic scale. The end result is often visually dramatic, combining light, movement and sound in enigmatic, complex constructions that are designed deliberately to stimulate the viewer's imagination. Talking about his work he has said: 'There is a huge amount of information that I want to get across. They are very much about philosophy and epistemology. I like the strength of conversation that comes from them I like the possibilities of what they could mean to people' (C. Shawcross, quoted in 'Interview with Conrad Shawcross', reproduced at https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker/exhibitions/ shawcross/interview.aspx [accessed 5th June 2013]).