Helen Maurer - "Little Sister II" 2024
glass and nature, spotlight, turntable
10.5 cm x 7 cm x 7 cm
Helen Maurer is a London-based artist and educator working primarily with glass, light, projection, sound and site-specific installation. BAGT lists her as an artist at Blackhorse Lane Studios, 114a Blackhorse Lane, London E17 6AA.
Born in Portsmouth, Maurer studied Fine Art and Theatre before specialising in glass, completing postgraduate study at Central Saint Martins and a Master’s degree at the Royal College of Art. She was awarded the Jerwood Prize for Applied Arts: Glass in 2003 for her distinctive approach to the medium.
Maurer’s practice transforms modest materials—glass fragments, mirrors, lenses, overhead projectors, motors, natural matter and found objects—into luminous spatial encounters. Her works often begin with experiment, research and conversation, developing into poetic responses to place, memory and atmosphere. Having spent many years living on a boat, water, reflection, refraction and shifting perception recur throughout her work.
Her installations frequently operate through optical transformation: small glass constructions, when lit and projected, become architectural spaces, landscapes, seascapes or dream-like interiors. In works such as Vanishing Point, miniature glass models are placed on overhead projectors so that light passes through the objects to create life-size projected images. In re Connected re Creation and re Composing, Maurer uses light, mirrors, sound, natural materials and projection to draw out hidden architectural and devotional details, producing installations that hover between memory, illusion, craft, theatre and expanded sculpture.
Maurer is represented by Danielle Arnaud Contemporary Art and has exhibited nationally and internationally, including at the Crafts Council Gallery, Pump House Gallery, Angel Row Gallery, Grundy Art Gallery, National Museum of Scotland, National Glass Centre, Glazenhuis Belgium, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Esteban Vicente in Segovia, and Danielle Arnaud Venice. Her work is held in public and private collections including the Arts Council of Great Britain, the Crafts Council Collection, the Matt Collection and the Royal Geographical Society.