Cornelia Parker

Cornelia Parker is best known for creating sculpture out of the burnt remains of a church struck by lightning and from a garden shed which she blew up and subsequently reconstituted by suspending the fragments. Both of these works are represented in this publication as double page spreads and sit alongside colour images of a diverse selection of other work.

For Ikon, Parker created a spectacular fireworks display, set off from the roof of Birmingham's landmark Rotunda building. The pyrotechnic mixture on this occasion contained a pulverized meteorite that had first fallen to earth in China during the 16th century. Its combustion recreated the final stage of a cosmic journey, a dazzling meteorite shower over Birmingham's Bullring Market. This intervention by Parker represented a milestone in the history of Ikon, as it was the beginning of the gallery’s current and continuous programme of off-site projects. As such, it signaled a strong commitment to presenting the best contemporary art outside dedicated ‘art space’, asserting a refreshing freedom in artistic practice and the possibility of an apprehension of beauty anywhere.

The publication broadly includes seven double page photographs of Parker’s fireworks display, 15 full page photographic presentations of the artist’s work, an essay by Tate Modern Curator Jessica Morgan and a biography.