Places and spaces are ever present in Helen Slater Stokes’ work, the emotional associations they hold and the resonance they have. Landscapes, and in particular trees, hold a strong attachment to a place; they can be a constant when the surrounding land starts to change. Paths become roads over time and open fields become prime building land, but hopefully a trace of the original tree line or the grand oaks are left.
Helen’s collection of glass pieces are inspired by memory-based imagery, combined with current references to a place, to fabricate a memory of that place. They stop and rewind time, preserving the memory of that place as it was.Many of the landscapes, places or views within these works no longer exist, but are now captured forever within the glass, as virtual spaces.