Artist research: Clare Celeste Borsch

Clare Celeste is and international installation and collage artist, as well as an environmentalist. Her work has been featured in magazines and news papers such as Oprah magazine and the Guardian. 

Celestes installation piece 'Phoenix' is placed in what looks like a hallway with an erupting volcano and a bright orange Phoenix seemingly bursting out from the smoke as the centre and focal point of the work. the subject is then surrounded by a multitude and mixture of flora and fauna, as well as animals like butterflies and birds and they seem to form a makeshift frame which I think allows the subject to stand out even more. 

when looking at this piece I believe that it is about life and transformation. The Phoenix represents renewal, rebirth resurrection and hope, and I think that this work is about creating hope and morale for people so that they realise and understand that there is hope for the future and the environment if we work hard enough to make a change. I think that the light, bright spring colours add to this feeling. It's fun and inviting, resembling a children's pop up book, creating a feeling of hope for the viewer. I believe that this pop up illusion also causes the work to have a cartoonish and fairytale atmosphere to it, as if the viewer has stepped into a story book. The colour orange is seen scattered throughout this piece. Orange can represent transformation and is generally seen as a positive colour, it stand out against the other paler colours and brings a sense of warmth and allows the work to seem welcoming and inviting. 

Celests second piece is called 'holding light', this is an intricate piece that works with light and shadows to create a beautiful installation. When directly comparing the two pieces of work, I think that 'Holding light' seems much more contained and reserved, there's a subtlety to it that I believe allows the piece to seem gentle and inviting to the viewer. I think that the use of light within the work allow effective use of the surrounding area creating an immersive atmosphere. I think that the shape of the installation is reminiscent of a festive paper lantern and I believe that this invokes a feeling of nostalgia, as if the viewer was attending a festival from their childhood. I think that the colours used are much more subdued and muted which I think adds an almost shy feeling to he work, as if it's hiding itself away waiting for the viewer to delve deeper before revealing itself. Overall, I'd say that I prefer 'Holding light' compared to 'Phoenix'. They're both incredibly detailed and intricate, however, I find that the use of light and playful shadows immersive and captivating.