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A close-up of iridescent black feathers. The dark plumage catches the light, revealing shimmering shades of deep blue and purple.

A new show from Kate MccGwire focusses on bewitching feather scultptures

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Date
16 November 2012

Despite our love of prattling on, sometimes it’s the artists themselves who best articulate the qualities of their work we so admire. So it is with Kate MccGwire, who describes her extraordinary feather creations as being “both sensual and deviant in equal measure.” Kate is best known for her huge pieces where slicks of feathers become organic masses and take over the gallery space in beautiful and unsettling ways. Her new show opening in London next week focusses on less overwhelming but no less intriguing pieces, smaller sculptures of incredible form and texture which seem to throb with an inner vitality.

Two pieces in particular reflect Kate’s interest in hair and the big, plaited forms add an unerring human dimension to her bewitching creations.

Lure runs at All Visual Arts between November 22 and January 26.

A sculpture of a heart-shaped form covered in white feathers. The piece is displayed inside a glass case on a dark plinth.
Above

Kate MccGwire: Cleave (detail)

A white sculpture of a feathered form, resembling a pair of wings or a bird, is displayed inside a glass case. The piece sits on a dark plinth against a weathered, industrial grey wall.
Above

Kate MccGwire: Cleave

A large, dark blue sculpture of a braided plait hangs against a weathered white wall. The textured surface of the braid has a metallic sheen, contrasting with the stained, industrial backdrop.
Above

Kate MccGwire: Splice

A sculpture of a large, black feathered form twisted into a knot. It is suspended from a metal rod against a weathered, white wooden wall.
Above

Kate MccGwire: Taunt

A curved, iridescent sculpture in shades of blue and purple sits inside a glass cloche. The piece has a textured, scale-like surface and is held upright by a thin metal support.
Above

Kate MccGwire: Narcis

A sculpture of a curved, iridescent blue and purple feathered form is displayed inside a glass cloche. The object is held in place by a thin metal stand against a dark grey background.
Above

Kate MccGwire: Narcis

A blue, textured sculpture hangs by two metal clamps inside a black glass display case. The form is bulbous at the bottom and curves upwards into two drooping arms.
Above

Kate MccGwire: Coerce

A sculpture of a large, iridescent blue feather shape. A central vertical split reveals a dense, textured core of small white organic forms.
Above

Kate MccGwire: Coerce (detail)

A close-up of two sculptural forms covered in iridescent blue and black feathers. A line of small, silver beads runs vertically down the side of the darker figure.
Above

Kate MccGwire: Coerce (detail)

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About the Author

Rob Alderson

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Rob Alderson is a freelance writer, editor and strategist. He was previously editor-in-chief of It’s Nice That and WePresent, and editor of Design Week. He publishes the newsletter Undo, which tries to make sense of how AI is changing design work, the design process and the design industry.

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