4:5 ― Liberty Maher
4:5 ― Liberty Maher
Liberty Maher is a final year BA Fine Art student at the University of Leeds, and one of 34 artists exhibiting work at this year’s BA/MA Fine Art Degree Show, So What of the Future.
Liberty talks about the work she is exhibiting as part of the Degree Show and of her experiences as a student in the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies.
“My work is a film installation called 4:5.
“When I was born, four of the five nerves to my right arm were completely severed resulting in a Brachial Plexus injury commonly known as Erbs Palsy. It has meant that the movement and growth in my arm has always been limited.
“My piece is so titled because when measuring my arms I realised that they have a length ratio of 4:5 which matches my nerve ratio too. I took this ratio and incorporated into every aspect of my piece: this included the time length, the cushions and the structure the film is projected onto.
Liberty Maher, screenshot from 4:5, Vitruvian Circle Part I, 2017“The film itself takes my everyday movements and maps out the unique rhythms and asymmetries to my body.
“I had never done a piece about my disability before, as I often do all I can to hide it. However when I saw the title of our Degree Show, So what of the future, I thought it would be a great way to spark an interest into the life of someone disabled and to embrace its presence in the art world.
“My favourite part of studying on the BA Fine Art course has been planning and curating our own exhibitions each year. Finding off site locations has given me skills in publicity and events management that I never expected to achieve from my course. The new School building has also brought a huge sense of community to the school and has meant that we can interact and help develop each other’s practices. This has been a huge help to me when struggling with ideas for pieces.
“Following graduation, I plan to go on to do a masters here at the University of Leeds in Advertising and Design.”
Liberty Maher’s film installation, 4:5, can be seen on the first floor of the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies on University Road.
Liberty Maher, 4:5 (2017), installed for 'So What of the Future'Visitors to the Fine Art Degree Show will be able to take in a broad range of art practice, including film, painting, print, installation, sculpture and textiles. The artists showing their work are a combination of students from the final yearBA Fine Art and MA Fine Art programmes.
So What of the Future runs until Friday 23 June and is open to the public from 11am to 6pm. More information can be found here.
