Sophy Rickett's Objects in the Field on POSTmatter

Sophy Rickett, Observation 111, 1991/2013

“Fail again. Fail better.” Samuel Beckett’s uniquely positive phrase encapsulates the curious optimism of Sophy Rickett’s new collaborative exhibition, in which the possibilities of photography are expanded. Over the course of her time as Associate Artist at the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge University, she worked closely with Dr Roderick Willstrop, a retired scientist of the department. His design of the Three Mirror Telescope enabled him to effectively photograph the night sky, recording the movements of the stars above. Their trails were slowly exposed upon a specially cut negative, punched out of a 5×4 film to fit perfectly upon the lens of the telescope. When she met Dr Willstrop he was preparing to place the complete set of 125 negatives, unprinted, into the museum archive – a process interrupted by Rickett when she decided to embrace their subtle beauty by printing them herself. 

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LAST DAYS of Sophy Rickett's exhibition at Kettle's Yard, Cambridge

Objects in the Field
Until Sunday November 3rd, 2013

In 2011 and 2012 Sophy Rickett made regular visits to the Institute of Astronomy at Cambridge University as an Associate Artist. Her new photographs are a response to meeting a retired fellow of the Institute, the scientist Dr Roderick Willstrop. Rickett has produced a remarkable series of large-scale photographs inspired by the negatives produced from the Three Mirror Telescope designed and built by Dr Willstrop. Her new work explores the connections between optics and seeing, the shift from analogue to digital, relationships between different kinds of photographic practice and the encounter between an individual and an institution, between an artist and a scientist.
Also on display will be a selection of earlier works from To The River (Archive) 2011-12 inspired by the Severn Bore, a large surge wave that can be seen in the estuary of the River Severn.

The Artist Associateship programme at the Institute of Astronomy was conceived and organised by Barry Phipps.