BIO

Joanna Sperryn-Jones is a lecturer, sculptor, writer and arts organiser who completed her degree and PhD in Sculpture at Norwich University College of the Arts. Her doctoral thesis simultaneously explored and drew parallels between personal experiences in life, such as breaking bones, with those of making/breaking sculpture, Derrida’s concept of the break and breaking as a methodology.

Joanna is Lecturer in Fine Art at Coventry University. She has exhibited in the UK and internationally and has published several book chapters and expositions on breaking, artistic research, sculpture and risk-taking in art and extreme sports. She is currently commissioned to create an augmented reality app for NetPark. She is one of the lead organisers of SelfScapes.

ABOUT THE ART

Joanna Sperryn-Jones explores the perception and experience of breaking through sculptural installation. The broken body as environment for self informs Jo’s research; she investigates the contrasting experiences of injury and health, restriction and extension.

For SelfScapes 2021, Jo is exploring ‘plumbing’ systems; of the body, of houses and of trees. Drawing parallels between the systems whilst considering their relation to each other. Inspiration came from documenting her treatment in an intensive care burns unit and buying ‘The Money Pit’ with her partner.

They had to replace the roof, the central heating, the electrics, re-plaster the walls and reconfigure the plumbing. The twists and turns in the plumbing prevented water from running to the taps and one toilet flushed steaming hot water! Trees have complex plumbing systems that carry water from roots to leaves where photosynthesis occurs so nourishing
the plant and releasing oxygen into the air. Jo is concerned with what happens when systems are dysfunctional or out of balance.