Wirral arts: Artist creates art installations made from paper

Nov 14 2012 by Linda Foo Guest, Birkenhead News

A WIRRAL artist has been busy putting together art installations made from paper.

It was when Wendy Williams was examining how to transport light materials to exhibitions that she thought of working with paper – as it was flexible with little weight.

She began working with recycled paper from books, magazines and maps.

The installation artist first thought of the idea when she was awarded a bursary to exhibit in Tromso, Norway last year.

Wendy did a fine art degree at Birmingham University and works at Tate Liverpool.

Wendy, from Prenton, said: “My first paper installation was at Metal in Liverpool last year where I adapted over 1,000 paper wings to travel overseas.

“I began by making a template and then did hundreds of cutouts from it, I use different types of paper, colours and textures to break it down and make designs and patterns within the installation.

“I make the pieces between my day job and can usually create 20 creations a day, as I have to wait for the glue to dry so it can take a while.

“I use to paint before doing this, but I prefer doing installations because I am doing it for myself and not to sell. I enjoy the making of it as each one is like a sculpture.”

Wendy has an installation on show, called ‘Journeys End’, at the Albert Dock. For this she has merged three previous installations in to one.

Wendy added: “All my work is to do with transport. For my residency at Leasowe development centre I did an installation of 300 Viking long boats, and made hundreds of warships for the ‘Journeys’ exhibition at the Chapel Gallery, West Lancs.

“For Light Night this year, I filled a unit in the Albert Dock with hundreds of paper houses made from discarded art magazines.

“I used the unit again at the start of the Biennial to fill an installation of paper planes, cut from maps and books.

“For the closing weeks of the Biennial, I have brought the three installations together – the planes, ships and houses – for ‘Journeys End’. The installation is about the amount of paper used daily and what is wasted and not thinking about reusing it – the journey of paper.

“In all, there will be over 1,500 paper items to view and 60 of the houses will be shown simultaneously at Tate Liverpool.”

Journeys End is at Unit 8, The Colonnades, Albert Dock until November 18.

More of Wendy’s work can be seen at www.wendyc williams.co.uk