‘Braced’ Skye Shadowlight Brite
Image Description:
Exhibition photograph of a three-quarter view of the sculptural artwork ‘Brace’ against a white wall and a Dove grey floor. The sculpture is an old worn dark brown wooden Victorian school desk with an attached chair. Underneath is a pair of child-size Orthopaedic purple butterfly braces with white Velcro straps that have been strapped to the footrest of the desk with black Velcro straps. Image credit: Harry Meadley.
Audio Description:
‘Brace’ (2017) is part of ‘Shade School’, a large-scale installation by Skye Shadowlight that recreates a full Victorian classroom. The piece was inspired by Skye’s autistic child, who shared that they were put under a desk at school when they were “naughty.” ‘Brace’ is made from their own walking braces, prescribed to stop them from tiptoe walking, strapped down to a rigid, unbendable structure. A symbol of control, discipline, and resistance. Get ready to fight the world. ‘Brace’.
Artist Bio
Skye Shadowlight Brite (b. 1974) is a neurodivergent, Texan-born artist who has lived and worked in Calderdale for over twenty years. A modern-day storyteller with thought-provoking tales to tell, she creates large-scale installations that often feature live performances. Her work explores accessibility, disability, and the clash between past and present—what happens when a modern-day disabled child sits in an archaic setting? Previous exhibitions include Liverpool Independents Biennial (2018) and SHAPE OPEN - London (2017). She was awarded the Edna Lumb Travel Award (2017) and the Square Peg Bursary (2018). Now, she turns her attention to exposing the failures of inaccessible systems, challenging the structures that continue to exclude and erase disabled voices
External Links:
Instagram - www.instagram.com/skyeshadowlight/
Website - www.skyeshadowlight.com/