Penumbra II
Bina Butcher & Tessa Beale
The Lobby 2019
Image Credits: Paul Sutherland
Penumbra: the partially shaded outer region of the shadow cast by an opaque object.
Penumbra II is the second iteration of a collaborative body of work between Tessa Beale and Bina Butcher that began with a joint residency in 2018. By exposing textures, colours and forms that highlight specific details, the project uncovers aspects of the natural world that are often overlooked. Both artists have been travelling to different locations to unearth new tactile sensibilities and gather material which they respond to back in the studio. The responses range from drawing, sculpture, sound, film, print and photography and offer new perspectives on conventional ways of seeing the landscape. Beale and Butcher have documented these responses in portable manuals that can be used as guidelines for the viewer to approach their environment in new ways. The resulting installation aims to create conditions for slower, quieter consideration of our surroundings and our place in the natural world.