A woman with brown hair sat on the floor looking directly to camera surrounded by numerous laser-cut metal panels

Opening reception: Thursday 11 April, 6 - 8pm

Workplace is delighted to announce Amber, a new exhibition of sculptures by artist Hazel Brill, which runs from 12 April - 25 May.

Rooted in her research around prometheus narratives in gothic fiction and sci-fi, her latest body of work combines an assortment of mechanical and organic materials taking inspiration from how biomimicry and biotechnology in architecture blurs the lines between living and non-living. The title references Brill’s interest in the dual seduction and fear around  transformative technologies, as amber lights can be both a warning and a calming, protective presence. Amber has further significance as the resin holds the non-living in stasis, not allowing organisms to decompose, leading to mythologies around it holding the essence of life. Brill uses microscopic images of ancient plant fragments and fossilised insects found inside amber in the designs of her sculptures as well as incorporating pine resin and amber in the materials.

Congregating in the centre of the gallery, alluding to a surreal laboratory gone awry, the works are created from internal mechanisms, such as simple rotating devices, lightbulbs and speakers, as well as strange prophetic dioramas. Modest in size yet intricate in their construction, they embody a sense of motion and agency, like tiny hybrid creatures that have emerged from other worlds.

Her most recent body of work sits between the grotesque and seductive, creepy and tender – expanding upon theuncanny presence of puppet theatre, clockwork animatronics and other forms of beings that navigate the line between living and dead. Bacteria features in the ‘belly’ of one of the sculptures, further alluding to histories of technology imbuing inanimate objects with life – a pygmalian and Frankenstein-like narrative which increasingly underpins storytelling around science and touches on the role of emotion in scientific research.

The sculptures embody an ominous presence and ambiguous sense of agency, acting both as protagonists and portals.Abstract narratives are weaved across the surface and material, appearing on metal, clay, glass, pine-resin, resin 3-d prints, as well as an imprinted on the wall-based works.

An installation view of Hazel Brill's exhibition featuring 5 glowing resin coloured sculptures on steel plinths

Installation photographs of Hazel Brill's exhibition 'Amber' at Workplace London

Explore Hazel Brill's intriguing exhibition, Amber, featuring sculptures that blend mechanical and organic elements inspired by gothic fiction, sci-fi, and biomimicry in architecture. Engage with her unique creations that challenge the boundaries between living and non-living.

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Installation Image Section

Artwork Section

Artist Biography Section

Amber

Steel, Pine resin, resin, blown glass, wire, LED lights, water, mist water pump

Sculpture dimensions:
38 x 31 x 19 cm
15 x 12 1/4 x 7 1/2 in
Plinth dimensions:
80 x 40 x 30 cm
31 1/2 x 15 3/4 x 11 3/4 in

Hazel Brill, Under an Amber Sun, 2024

Artwork Documentation

Silicone rubber, latex, steel, magnet, motor, card, wire, LED light

Sculpture dimensions:
30 x 25 x 30 cm
11 3/4 x 9 7/8 x 11 3/4 in
Plinth dimensions:
70 x 40 x 45 cm
27 1/2 x 15 3/4 x 17 3/4 in

Hazel Brill, BioGem, 2024

Hazel Brill
Brood, 2024
Steel, silicone runner, blown glass, wire, LED lights, water, motor, handmade chain
Sculpture dimensions:
55 x 30 x 19 cm
21 5/8 x 11 3/4 x 7 1/2 in
Plinth dimensions:
75 x 40 x 40 cm
29 1/2 x 15 3/4 x 15 3/4 in
(HB010)

Amber

Video:

Hazel Brill, Brood, 2024

Video:

Hazel Brill, Under an Amber Sun, 2024

Video:

Hazel Brill, BioGem, 2024

Video:

Hazel Brill, Brood, 2024

Video:

Hazel Brill, Under an Amber Sun, 2024

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Hazel Brill

London

Newcastle