Simon Hitchens: Parallels
Somerset Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury, Open 16 September to 2 December
CLOSE are pleased to announce that we have collaborated with the South West Heritage Trust and the Somerset Rural Life Museum to bring you a solo show of work by Somerset-based sculptor Simon Hitchens, who we announced representation of back in April.
Hitchens explores time and transience; the interconnected nature of what we share with the world. For three weeks spanning the autumn equinox of 2019 he travelled the full height of the British Isles, from latitude 50 in Cornwall to latitude 60 in Shetland. The purpose of the journey was to find rocks from eleven different geological time periods and to make a durational day drawing of the shadow lines cast from each rock, on each of the eleven lines of latitude. Shadows cast from a twelfth object, a discarded lump of plastic, were drawn on a landfill site near London. Hitchens says: “The British Isles have a rich and varied geology, with rocks ageing from the present to some of the oldest on our planet. Each day these rocks get a little older as we too get older. To be able to comprehend the deep-time of rocks is to a shine a light upon our own short lifespan”.
Complementing the drawings are ‘noontide’ shadow-sculptures of the twelve geological objects. The exhibition is curated by CLOSE's Creative Director Freeny Yianni.
Head to our VIEWING ROOM to learn more about Simon's practice
Hitchens work is currently on show at our gallery as part of 'Lines of Empathy' until 22 July, and at Tremenheere Sculpture Park, Cornwall until 5 August.
