Nathalie Bandulet / Feu et foudre [Fire and Lightning]

There is a wonderful exhibition on at Arts Sutton [Link here for hours and directions] of recent work of Nathalie Bandulet. As you enter, the work Barricade (Homage to Jackie Windsor), 2010. stands defensively against the wall of the gallery.
barricade: noun 1. a defensive barrier hastily constructed, as in a street, to stop an enemy. 2. any barrier that obstructs passage.

Barricade, 2010,  Nathalie Bandulet

Detail, Barricade, Tree branches, cotton, plaster and acrylic

162 x 162 x 10 cm,  Nathalie Bandulet

 Turning into the main space of the gallery is a large installation of vines, really almost trunks of vines suspended into the space and leaving shadow drawings of line on the walls around it. Every time you move the lines  and shadows are redrawn. I love this piece.

Coup de foudre (Love at first sight / Struck by lightning), 2012,  Nathalie Bandulet

Natural vines, charcoal and acrylic, Approx. 6 x 3,5 meters,  Nathalie Bandulet

Another work is Embûches (Ambushes, hazards and traps), Nathalie very kindly translated all the titles and descriptions for me.

 Embûches, 2010,  Nathalie Bandulet

Detail, showing the carving, Embûches, 2010,  Nathalie Bandulet

The last work I took photos of is fascinating. It looks like a rubbing from the trunk of a tree, then she has used red thread  to delineated the negative spaces. This is what Nathalie says "For this piece, the bark of a huge dead tree was printed on a large cotton cloth and later the texture (scars and wounds) was repaired with surgical stitches in a healing process. If we observe a split on a tree bark, we can see that the tissues grow back to seal the injury like a scar on our skin. Relics of a past of suffering, but also a testimony of our capacity to heal ourselves."

Cicatrices (Scars), 2008-2010,  Nathalie Bandulet

Detail, Cicatrices (Scars), 2008-2010,  Nathalie Bandulet

N.B. I noticed that the invitation for Nathalie's show lists the opening hours as Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm, not Thursday as listed on their web site. To see more of Nathalie's work please visit her web site. [Link here]