Artist Personal Statement

Helen Stratford is an artist with a background in architecture. Located between live art, visual art, architecture and writing, Helen has a social practice. Working with architects, artists, curators, diverse communities and publics, she develops site-specific interventions, including live events, video-works, speculative writing and artists’ books, that search for modalities to expand and critique architectural conventions.

Former studio and residency artist at Wysing Arts Centre Cambridge, Helen’s work and research has been presented at Yorkshire Sculpture Park: West Bretton, Leftcoast: Blackpool, Fermynwoods Contemporary Art: Thrapston, g39 and Oriel Davies Gallery: Wales, Wysing Arts Centre and Aid & Abet: Cambridge, Transitions Gallery, RIBA, National Theatre, Tate Modern and ICA: London, Primary: Nottingham, MSB2015 Bloc Projects, Yorkshire Artspace and SIA Gallery: Sheffield, Akademie Solitude: Stuttgart, Center for Contemporary Arts: Celje, Škuc Gallery and P74: Ljubljana. PhD candidate in Performative Architecture at the University of Sheffield Helen is in the process of completing a 2-year residency partnering with Yorkshire Sculpture Park and Furtherfield Gallery London and recently finished a residency with national arts organisation METAL in Peterborough and Southend-On-Sea. Both focus on developing mobile artworks, with artist Idit Elia Nathan, that playfully critique approaches to the urban environment and landscape. Helen’s latest artists’ book The Day of the Duck was published in 2018 and she is a selected artist for Oslo Architecture Triennale, Oslo National Museum Autumn 2019.

Find out more about Helen Stratford here.

Works Exhibited

The Day of the Duck, 2012 – 2019

About The Cambridge Show

‘The Cambridge Show’ brings together work by twenty-two artists who live or work in and around Cambridge. Showcasing a cross-section of the artistic community operating in the local area, from photography to performance, the exhibition will explore these artists’ diverse practices, and some of the themes and issues that they are engaging with right now.

Images

Helen Stratford photo from A Day with a Duck. Photo: Nick Cheek. Courtesy the artist.

Helen Stratford, Feeding Preferences and Selected Diet from The Day of The Duck series (2012 – 2019). Courtesy the artist.

Helen Stratford, Migration Paths Accompanying Items from The Day of The Duck series (2012 – 2019). Courtesy the artist.

Helen Stratford, Riverside Routines from The Day of The Duck series (2012 – 2019). Courtesy the artist.