WHITE ASHES FELL by Stuart Whipps

Stuart Whipps2012Edward James19621979Las PozasThe House with Three Stories That Could Be FiveThe Temple of The Ducks36George MellySalvador DalSwans Reflecting Elephants

20206213

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White Ashes Fell presents photographs made by Stuart Whipps in Xilitla, Mexico in 2012. These photographs depict the surrealist sculpture garden of Las Pozas, a collection of 36 large concrete structures with titles such as The House with Three Stories That Could Be Five, and The Temple of The Ducks. Las Pozas was built by the English patron and poet Edward James between 1962 and 1979. These images are accompanied by photographs of the wooden moulds that were used to cast James’ structures. The title comes from a story told to George Melly and published in ‘Swans Reflecting Elephants‘:

The building occurred only after the first 20 years here. For the first 20 years I was only interested in horticulture and then suddenly, in 62 there was a snowfall. Nobody had seen snow before, they didnt know what it was. When I got back from New York a month later they said Don Edwardo, for 3 days white ashes fell and burnt everything so then I decided I would do something that couldnt be killed by freak weather so I began building only then, things that look like tress and plants and flowers. Things that could not be killed by snow.

The making of these photographs was generously supported by Wysing Arts Centre.

Tick, Tack, Tick, Tack, Tick
White Ashes Fell is part 2 of Tick, Tack, Tick, Tack, Tick, a series of publications with Stuart Whipps. Each publication behaves as an excerpt from Whipps’ ongoing practice and the ideas circulating around it. Upon publication of each book, 300 untrimmed running sheets from the printing press are stored and archived, to be activated at a future date.