E L West

Shelter

10 cm X 5 cm X 5 cm

£150

This recreation of the larger sculptural piece "Shelter" was made for Compact Contemporary, a micro-gallery curated by Helen Dryden. "Shelter" queers a fallout shelter illustrated in the British civil defence guide "Protect and Survive". Made from two doors leant up against a wall, the original design was given to the general public and suggested that you could survive an atomic bomb within one. West attempts to reimagine this advice and turn it in to something useful, using the bed as a shelter from the external violence against queer people. This work is from a larger body of work that considers armageddon as an allegory for coming out and the need to shelter one another in our sacred spaces. To be able to dream, love and protect each other from the oncoming storm of homophobia and transphobia.

A Little Bit About The Artist

A Statement From The Artist

E L West (they/them) is a queer & Disabled artist. Born in Portsmouth in 1998, they graduated from Camberwell College of Arts in 2019 and are now based in Oxfordshire. West uses an interdisciplinary practice, mainly focused on textiles, to interrogate their place in the world. Examining identity, home and belonging through their work.

Tell us about a dream you've had.

I have this recurring dream of a chocolate brown cat with bright blue eyes; they visit me often as part of larger dreams. Sometimes they are hanging out casually with my other two cats Anarchy & Noddy, or sometimes they will just be sighted out of the corner of my eye whilst walking somewhere. I wonder what they are trying to tell me, is this a sign to adopt the cat when I meet it in real life, or are they an angel visiting from kitty heaven to offer support during a turbulent period of my life? All I know is that I am thankful when they appear in my dreams, its like a sign that everything is going to be ok.

What's your favourite movie or tv show?

My current comfort shows are Benidorm, Bobs Burgers and What We Do In The Shadows.

What is your biggest influence on your practice?

I am influenced by the history of quilting and the tension between art & craft, especially in terms of what is valued in our contemporary world. I love the intersection between the 'motherly' act of quilting and my queer and trans hands learning from techniques that fit so neatly in to family life. I've also got an obsession with speculative fiction, fantasy and nuclear Armageddon.

Phantasmal Gallery