Stephanie Imbeau Installation Artist

Rain Cloud (grand Rapids) - 2010

A further exploration of the idea of a rain cloud, focusing on the importance of community. Individually, the umbrellas are beautiful, but together they create a much more impactful and visually interesting work. The idea of the importance of community was further perpetuated by the fact that a significant portion of the umbrellas that make up 'Rain Cloud (Grand Rapids)' came from Grand Rapids locals, who donated umbrellas in varying states of disrepair. Using donated and broken umbrellas gives these items that would otherwise be destined for the trash a chance to tell another story and be appreciated for their aesthetic appeal. To add a sense of playfulness to the work, there were spaces left open where viewers could look into the sculpture, becoming more physically involved. For the more adventurous, some openings were located at the base of the sculpture, requiring the viewer to lie on the ground in order to look through them.

Shelter - 2009

Shelter for Channel 4 is an opportunity to give discarded umbrellas a second chance; to tell a story. Like Channel 4, which is viewed by people from every level of society, umbrellas are used by all, pointing to the ties that bind us together as a community of people instead of a nation of isolated individuals. It also speaks of the pleasure that can be found in everyday items and their potential to be more than they might first appear.

From all angles, there is a profusion of colour and rounded shapes softening the geometric forms giving the sculpture its shape. Suspended umbrellas seem to float in the shape of the 4, giving the sensation of being suspended from reality. In the evening, lighting allows the colour and shape to have an altered but equally vibrant presence.

Wall Villages - 2009/2010

Ongoing project using cardboard sewn with cotton twine into geometric forms inspired by the Adobe (or pueblo) houses found in the Southwestern US. Exploring the nature of our built environment and how settlements expand upon themselves with the passage of time.

Individual 'villages' can be hung separately or together, giving this project the capacity to be an ongoing and ever-changing installation piece.

A Quieter Place - 2009

A Quieter Place’ is a continuation of the exploration of community and belonging, using the visual suggestion of a shelter to represent individuals as they exist alongside each other.

The solidity of the porcelain is in equal parts restrictive and soft.  There are no doors or windows, giving a sense of isolation to each sculpture, but because of the soft lines and gentle glazing, there is a sense of malleability to the work, which suggests openness.  This interesting tension between the restrictive yet gentle feel of the grouping seems to be resolved in the piece having a quiet feel to it.  There is a certain peacefulness underscored by a sense of loneliness.

Drawings - 2009

A selection of small study drawings.

House Melts - 2009

An ongoing experimentation with the remnants of a previous project, Inside. These wall sculptures explore the ways in which life cycles and the potential for the re-use of materials.

Rain Cloud - 2009

A playful take on the idea of a rain cloud, using umbrellas of varying patterns and colours to make a bright, vibrant, and fun 'cloud', removing the associations of anxiety and fear from the term.

A cluster of colour suspended on a pole, seemingly floating above the ground. Can be suspended up to 3m from the ground, thereby emphasizing the idea of a mass existing in the air.

Rain Cloud 2009
Sculpture in the Sanctuary, Hill Farm Nurseries
Location: Nottinghamshire
Materials: Steel and Umbrellas
Dimensions: Approximately 2m in diameter, variable height
Supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Stephanie is currently looking for new venues in which to display Rain Cloud

Inside - 2008

On a bridge connecting two railway platforms, a 'village' of copper wire houses was made in the manner of a 3-dimensional line drawing. Only the roofs were articulated, referencing our need for protection and questioning how we would interact with one another if our walls of self-preservation were gone. Using copper wire, an electrical material usually hidden behind walls, gave its typically overlooked beauty a chance to be showcased and also further emphasized the suggestion of uncommon vulnerability.

As this installation was in a public space, it invited commentary and interpretation from the general public, encouraging community engagement and interaction.

Village - 2007

Sewing cardboard using cotton twine, a village was made, commenting on community and isolation. An everyday material was given significance that it does not normally possess, and used to engage a space and the people moving through it.

Home - 2007

Situated in the corner of a dark cellar-like room, this installation was a quiet meditation on the dialogue between the security of home and the uncertainty of the world beyond. A single light bulb hanging over a pristine white dolls house gave this piece a haunting resonance as viewed by a single open door into the otherwise dark and windowless space surrounding.

Untitled (Nesting and Narcicissim) - 2006

Using house paint, a studio space was transformed into a life-size architectural drawing. House paint was used to point out the scope and creative potential possessed by a utilitarian material.

By the artist painting her feet and moving around the space as she imagined it being, she led others through the drawing, enabling them to become a part of the artwork. The footprints invited the public to move through the space as someone else had, thereby connecting them to that other person through their movement and experience of the space.