Danger concentrates the mind

Artist Ann Bean recalls the perilous process behind her iconic series of photographs entitled Elemental(Heat) 1974. It was experimenting with pouring gasoline over heatproof glass and setting it on fire, resulting in beautiful blue flames. Because the glass did not crack, she thought about interacti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Tate etc 2023-01 (60), p.20-21
Main Author: Bean, Anne
Format: Magazinearticle
Language:English
Subjects:
20th century
Fires
Performance art
Photography
Women
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Artist Ann Bean recalls the perilous process behind her iconic series of photographs entitled Elemental(Heat) 1974. It was experimenting with pouring gasoline over heatproof glass and setting it on fire, resulting in beautiful blue flames. Because the glass did not crack, she thought about interacting with it more closely. She built up a stack of bricks, put the sheet of glass on top and lay beneath it. Then asked her friend, the photographer Chris Bishop, to squirt gasoline over the glass and set it alight, and then take photographs through the flames. Looking at the photographs today, it strikes that the piece has endless tendrils reaching back in time. Throughout her life, she have found being a woman artist oppressive in one way but astonishingly liberating in another. She have tended to be profligate with her work, not wanting to feel the burden of one's past. She would have wanted to jump outside of it. She have no regrets, it has freed her up to stay connected to the zeitgeist, to consider where she fit in, what she want to do.Elemental (Heat) is included in Women in Revolt!, until 7 April 2024.
ISSN:1743-8853
2516-3493