Litha

Mat Chivers (b. 1988)
“As a child I learnt somewhere that swifts
sleep in the air. They lock their wings
and spiral down, waking before they hit
the ground. I’ve held a kind of nearmystical
reverence for them ever since. I’ve
day-dreamt for hours imagining their epic
migration route from the summer skies of
North-Western Europe to the plains of sub-
Saharan Africa - my mind travelling with
them. Because of their incredible speed and
the fact that they rarely land, they’re quite
hard to observe, so I’ve probably spent more
time experiencing the associations than the
birds themselves. This swift was found the
other side of the Atlantic in the car park of
a Metro supermarket in Montreal. It would
have probably overwintered in Peru if it’s
journey turned out differently. Holding its
body in the palm of my hand I can sense
its absolute stillness. A delicate memory
of airborne freedom. A beautiful vessel.”
The work of British artist Mat Chivers looks
at some of the fundamental phenomena that
drive our thoughts and actions. He explores
ideas relating to perception, evolutionary
process, ecology and ethics by bringing
traditional analogue approaches to making
into counterpoint with state of the art
digital technologies. Chivers has works in
numerous private and public collections
including Oxford University Mathematical
Institute, UK and Fondazione Henraux,
Italy. Solo exhibitions include ‘Migrations’
at Arsenal Art Contemporain Montréal,
Canada and Musée d’art de Joliette, Canada;
‘Harmonic Distortion’ at PM/AM, London,
UK, ‘Altered State’s at Hallmark House,
Johannesburg, South Africa and ‘Syzygy’ at
Anima Mundi. Group exhibitions include The
New States of Being at Centre d’Exposition
de l’Université de Montréal, Canada; A Place
In Time at Nirox, Johannesburg, South
Africa; Glasstress: White Light/White Heat
at Pallazzo Cavalli Franchetti for the 55th
Venice Biennale, Italy and The Knowledge at
The Gervasuti Foundation for the 54th Venice
Biennale, Italy.
Where Do I End and You Begin (Swift)
pencil on paper, 56 x 76 cm
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