Peter Sedgley initially studied architecture at Brixton Technical School, 1944-46, before devoting himself to art and the exploration of colour and visual perception. His work has most recently been exhibited alongside works of Matisse and others, in the START exhibition at TATE Modern.
Peter first exhibited in New York, and in 1966 he was a prize-winner at the Tokyo Biennale. He was one of the artists selected by the Museum of Modern Art in New York for its ‘Responsive Eye’ show, 1964. “There was innovation all the time,” he says of the Sixties. “That’s why the period continues to fascinate us. That, and that it’s recent enough for its history still to be up for grabs.”
Along with Bridget Riley and Peter Townsend Peter Sedgley was one of the founders of SPACE; an organisation that leased buildings to provide studios for artists. Since the 1970s’ he has exhibited widely in Germany and has been making large artworks which refect his interest in incorporating technology and the elements: his 1997 Colorama, in the Conference Centre in Dubai, is a solar-activated mobile of glass and steel.
In 1973 a retrospective of his work was held at The Ikon Gallery, Birmingham and in 1993 his work featured in ‘The Sixties Art Scene in London’, Barbican Art Gallery.
He exhibits internationally and his work is held in numerous public and private collections including The Arts Council Collection, Chase Manhattan Bank, NY, Gulbenkian Foundation, Nagasaki Museum, Japan, Northern Ireland Arts Council, Tate Gallery, Victoria and Albert Museum, Walker Art Center, USA, Winnipeg Art Gallery, USA.
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Full Circle – WINDOMES
“Dichroic Filter Glass, has been the source of inspiration for me during the past 40 years. It is a filter glass having the remarkable property of splitting white light into two hues, transmitting one colour and reflecting its complementary.
When elements of the glass are placed in a particular arrangement and penetrated with beams of white light, there is interplay and fusion of colour over the surrounding, adjacent surfaces.
Some works of mine I call “Windomes”, wall mounted reliefs where the spectator’s reflection becomes incorporated in the vital image of the work itself.
“Windome”, is a play on the words ‘window’ and ‘me’. The work is composed of a dichroic glass panel behind which is a mirror illuminated at the side by a narrow strip light. This allows you to look through the glass and see in the virtual space created by the mirrors, multiple coloured images of the light disappearing into the distance and at the same time seeing yourself and your surroundings as a spectral ghost on the surface of the glass, thus becoming part of the vital image.”