Statement

Rich White makes installation works about location, sense of place and the relationships that develop between people and their environment.

Key aspects of his practice are resonance and discovery. Works are informed by research of the locality, dictated by architecture and space, and through the uncovering of stories of identity, memory, place and history. These findings are used to develop work that resonates with the location and the viewer. The work also provides a sense of discovery; installations are immersive and interactive, allowing the viewer to explore the physical environment and discover new perspectives and information.

The forms the works take are often unknown at inception; beginning with site visits and research, and organically shaped by the limitations of space, material and self-imposed restrictions. White challenges himself to pragmatically develop and craft new techniques and methods as the work progresses; drawing on familiar patterns, local history and material connections. Coincidence plays a creative role in his practice; chance encounters with places, people or materials inform the development of the work, creating sculpture that responds to the varied perspectives people have of their locations and the events that shape them.

'Rich is an absolute joy to work with. If you want a well developed creative concept with all the practicalities thought through and then fabricated and installed, he's your man. And... he's lovely and so easy to get along with too! Cathy Mager, Artistic Director, and I commissioned Rich to deliver a residency in the unique and beautiful setting of Diglis Island in the centre of the River Severn in Worcester as a part of 'The Ring' creative celebration of the Mid-Worcestershire Canal Ring and part of the Canal & River Trust's Arts on the Waterways programme. Like pretty much all large-scale outdoor installations, the programme was not without it's technical challenges, we had bats, snow, sun and then there are the access issues of public access onto an island which is only accessible across the top of two locks. So, thankfully, all the elements which Rich was looking after were taken care of, even down to the planning docs. Rich is such a star and a joy to work with I can't recommend him enough!'

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Influence

Francis Alÿs ⋅ Phyllida Barlow ⋅ Joseph Beuys ⋅ Louise Bourgeois ⋅ Christo and Jeanne-Claude ⋅ Celine Condorelli ⋅ Thomas Demand  ⋅ Olafur Eliasson ⋅ Rebecca Horn ⋅ Anselm Kiefer ⋅ Bruce Nauman ⋅ Doris Salcedo ⋅ Helmut Smits ⋅ Monika Sosnowska ⋅ Richard Wilson ⋅ Erwin Wurm