Amy Sharrocks

Amy Sharrocks is a UK based live artist, sculptor and filmmaker from Camden, London. Sharrocks' work focuses on collaboration and exchange, and she uses everyday activities, such as walking or swimming, to create memorable experiences for participants. She is known for large scale, live works in public places, including a 50-person swim across London for SWIM (2007)^[1]

Water

For the last 12 years, Sharrocks has made live artworks about people and water.^[2] She is creator of the award winning Museum of Water (2013), 'a collection of publicly donated water and accompanying stories',^[3] in which the public is invited to browse the collection and add their own water samples and stories;^[4] as of 2016, the collection includes over 700 bottles.^[5] The piece has toured throughout Europe and was featured at London's Somerset House in 2014.Her piece drift (2009-2010, 2015), toured swimming pools throughout the United Kingdom, including an overnight drift in the London Aquatics Centre at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.^[6] She is currently organising interest for, Swim the Thames, an annual, inclusive, all-ages, live art event that asks participants to swim in the Thames River.

Falling

Sharrocks also makes work about falling, exploring the trips and stumbles of everyday life; she focuses not only on the physical act of falling, but also the conceptual framework around the experience and meaning of falling.^[7][8] In 2012, Sharrocks hosted a Study Room Event at the Live Art Development Agency called A Guide to Falling; a full slide show is available at the LADA Study Room.^[9] Sharrocks won the Sculpture Shock Award from the Royal British Society of Sculptors, which resulted in the exhibition Season for Falling.^[10] She also created An Invitation to Fall on Kings Road with the Museum of London, which was an open invitation for participants to fall.

Walking

Sharrocks is a member of the Walking Artists Network, and has been interviewed by Andrew Stuck for the Talking Walking podcast.^[11] She is co-curator with Clare Qualmann of WALKING WOMEN (2016) at Somerset House and the Edinburgh Arts Festival.

Selected Works

• pause (2005-2010), a film shot on Oxford Street in which Sharrocks asked passers-by for a breath, has been exhibited in London, Cambridge, Newcaste, France, Israel.^[12]
• SWIM (2007), inspired by Frank Perry's film "The Swimmer".^[13]
• drift (2009-2010; 2015)^[14]
• Thames Water (2009-2010)
• Walbrook (2009), Walbrook saw 65 people walk silently through London at rush-hour, along the riverbed of Walbrook.
• Drift (2009).
• London is a River City (2011), a series of public walks exploring London's underground rivers.
• Museum of Water (2013-Ongoing) presents a collection of over 700 bottles of water, donated by the public. Each bottles is accompanied by different personal story of a donator.^[15] The Museum of Water was nominated for European Museum of the Year 2016.^[16]
• Season for Falling and Invitation to Fall (2013).

Awards

• Museum Oskar, Museum of Water, best temporary exhibition, Somerset House, London (2014)^[17]
• Sculpture Shock award, Royal British Society of Sculptors (2013)^[18]

References

1. "Amy Sharrocks". Artsadmin. Retrieved 2016-07-05.
2. "Amy Sharrocks: the woman with the key to London's water". Evening Standard. 2013-03-14. Retrieved 2016-07-05.
3. "Museum of Water by Amy Sharrocks, London UK". Museum of Water by Amy Sharrocks, London UK. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
4. "Museum of Water: A live artwork by Amy Sharrocks, 6 – 29 June 2014". Somerset House. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
5. "The Collection - Museum of Water by Amy Sharrocks, London UK". Retrieved 2016-07-11.
6. "DRIFT COMPETITION | Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park". queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
7. Sharrocks, Amy (2013-08-01). "An Anatomy of Falling". Performance Research. 18 (4): 48–55. doi:10.1080/13528165.2013.814368. ISSN 1352-8165.
8. "Connect10 Competition Artist Amy Sharrocks". www.swanseamuseum.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-07-05.
9. Sharrocks, Amy (2012). A Study Guide to Falling (PDF).
10. "Sculpture Shock: Ambulatory—SEASON FOR FALLING » Exhibitions » Royal British Society of Sculptors". rbs.org.uk. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
11. "Amy Sharrocks talking walking". 2013-05-25. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
12. "Forest Fringe | The Place". www.theplace.org.uk. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
13. "SWIM". www.iwanttoswim.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-07-05.
14. Gratza, Agnieszka (2011-08-17). "London Waterworks". PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art. 33 (3): 89–93. doi:10.1162/PAJJ_a_00059. ISSN 1520-281X.
15. "Museum of Water by Amy Sharrocks, London UK". Museum of Water by Amy Sharrocks, London UK. Retrieved 2016-07-05.
16. "European Museum of the Year Award nomination for Museum of Water | LIFT". www.liftfestival.com. Retrieved 2016-07-05.
17. "The Museum Oskars 2015: Winners Part 1 | Museum140". Retrieved 2016-07-06.
18. "Sculpture Shock: Ambulatory—SEASON FOR FALLING » Exhibitions » Royal British Society of Sculptors". rbs.org.uk. Retrieved 2016-07-05.