NICK BEIGHTON PT1
Is there triumph in trauma?
Nick Beighton pt1 (Trauma To Champion: Windows Of The Soul), 2017-2018
Oil paint, acrylic, carbon fibre and metal
Unique works (panels 1-7)
H60 x W42 x D18-43cm
© Mark Humphrey
COLLABORATORS
Nick Beighton (British paracanoeist and former British Army officer)
Canary Wharf Group
Corps of Royal Engineers (British Army)
Olympic and Paralympic canoe team
Paddle UK
LOCATION
One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London, UK
“NICK BEIGHTON PT1 (TRAUMA TO CHAMPION: WINDOWS OF THE SOUL) FOLLOWS SEVEN STAGES OF NICK’S JOURNEY, FROM THE MOMENT IN AFGHANISTAN A LAND MINE EXPLODED BENEATH HIM TO HIS EMERGENCE AS A PARALYMPIC CANOE CHAMPION AND BRONZE MEDALLIST AT RIO 2016. EACH STAGE IS REPRESENTED BY A SCULPTURAL PORTRAIT FORMED FROM TWO CLEAR ACRYLIC PANELS, CREATING THE APPEARANCE OF WINDOWS THROUGH WHICH WE LOOK IN AND OUT – ONE SIDE SUGGESTING LIFE, THE OTHER DEATH. THE SAME PORTRAIT SILHOUETTE APPEARS ACROSS ALL FOURTEEN PANELS, CREATING A CONSTANT PRESENCE AS THE STORY UNFOLDS.
THE SEVEN STAGES: EXPLOSION, TRAUMA, HEAL, DARKNESS, RENEWAL, FOCUS AND CHAMPION ARE EXPRESSED THROUGH MATERIALS DRAWN FROM NICK’S EXPERIENCE AND THE WORLDS SURROUNDING IT. MATERIALS FROM THE BATTLEFIELD, HOSPITAL AND SPORTING ARENA; SURGICAL EQUIPMENT, GAUZE, SILICONE TUBES, NUTS, BOLTS AND WASHERS, STAINLESS-STEEL CABLES, KEVLAR AND CARBON FIBRE ARE COMBINED WITH OIL PAINT. EACH PANEL BECOMES A PHYSICAL RECORD OF A DIFFERENT STAGE OF HIS RECOVERY.
ACROSS THE RELIEF SURFACES, MY ‘PAINTING ON AIR’ TECHNIQUE LIBERATES PAINT FROM THE CANVAS, TRANSFORMING TWO-DIMENSIONAL PIGMENT INTO INTERWOVEN THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURES. PAINTED STRANDS FORM DELICATE YET REMARKABLY RESILIENT WEB-LIKE PATTERNS, RESEMBLING SPIDER SILK, LIGAMENTS AND LIVING TISSUE. APPLIED THROUGH DIFFERENT ‘BRUSHSTROKE’ ACTIONS OVER THE UNDERLYING RELIEFS, THE THREADS BECOME LIKE SKIN OVER FLESH AND BONE. VIBRANT, VIVID COLOURS INTENSIFY THE RAW EMOTION, WHILE THE FRAGILE-LOOKING STRUCTURES GAIN STRENGTH THROUGH CONNECTION.
AS THE SEQUENCE PROGRESSES, THE TWO PANELS OF EACH PORTRAIT GRADUALLY MOVE CLOSER TOGETHER. THE WIDENING SPACE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH BEGINS TO CLOSE; WHAT INITIALLY APPEARS DIVIDED AND VULNERABLE SLOWLY BECOMES MORE UNIFIED. BY THE FINAL CHAMPION PANEL, THE TWO SIDES ARE CLOSEST TOGETHER, REFLECTING NICK’S JOURNEY TOWARDS BECOMING WHOLE AGAIN.
THE WORK IS ULTIMATELY ABOUT THE RESOLVE TO MOVE FROM TRAUMA TO TRIUMPH – TO SEARCH DEEP WITHIN THE SOUL, FIND THE STRENGTH TO HEAL AND REBUILD, AND EMERGE STRONGER FROM DISASTER. IT BECOMES A PHYSICAL EXPRESSION OF RESILIENCE: THE ABILITY TO GROW, DEVELOP AND TRANSFORM ADVERSITY INTO SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL.
DEATH IS NOT AN OPTION IN THE PURSUIT OF PERSONAL ILLUMINATION.”
Mark Humphrey
“WAR IS DEVASTATION, HORROR AND PAIN. BUT IN THE WRECKAGE SOMETHING SURVIVES, A SEED, A GLIMMER OF HOPE FOR RENEWAL AND GROWTH. UNBROKEN, THE DRIVE FOR REDEMPTION BEGINS ITS SLOW JOURNEY BACK. NICK BEIGHTON PT1 AND PT2 FOLLOW THIS THREAD AS IT SEEKS TO FIND ORDER IN THE CHAOS. IT IS A UNIVERSAL STORY SHOWING THE STRENGTH OF THE SOUL TO OVERCOME TRAUMA AND LOSS.”
Nick Beighton
British paracanoeist and former British Army officer
