The Verbier 3-D Foundation presents new work by London-based artist Rana Begum, who was invited for a research-led residency to immerse herself in the local alpine community and explore the environmental theme of ENERGY. Inspired by materials, technologies, and ecological knowledge from the surrounding natural landscape, Begum's new work prompts viewers to contemplate their relationship with the natural environment and the encompassing reality of change that defines it.
Visitors are invited to experience Begum’s residency work and research in the environment from which it was inspired, fostering an immediate exchange between art and the landscape. Rana Begum's new sculpture, No.1387 Fence is a collaboration with London-based engineer Steve Webb exploring how the structural requirements can be incorporated into the aesthetic and conceptual heart of the work. Local wooden logs are used to support the sculpture, juxtaposing the natural material with the man-made fence panels to create a foundation that can be removed without leaving a permanent scar. The sculpture is designed so that all parts can be assembled and disassembled without changing their original function, expanding Begum’s exploration into how industrial materials can be reconfigured and, temporarily, transformed.
During her residency, Begum was moved by how the stark landscape is transformed with the changing seasons and fluctuating weather. The location is exposed to extreme conditions that dramatise nature’s essential flux, causing mountains to disappear as fog descends or change colour when the snow falls or melts. The sculpture's sudden presence, public interaction, and eventual absence reflects the temporality of its surroundings, appearing and disappearing without leaving any lasting impact.
The power of this landscape invites an awareness of our place within it, directing Begum and Webb towards ephemeral materials that absorb rather than compete with their dramatic backdrop and emphasise the change inherent to it. The interplay of light and shadow on the fencing panels creates shifting layers of colour that transform as the viewer navigates the sculpture, creating moments of density and lightness before it disappears completely. The geometry of the sculpture explores this further; the indistinct linear lines of the zigzag when perceived from the road expand into a square of colour as you travel around it, creating a splash of vibrancy that stands out momentarily against the landscape.
There is an essential simplicity at the heart of this work, combining everyday materials to explore the relationship between colour, geometry, and light. Inspired by their own experiences and observations during the residency, Begum and Webb invite the viewer to have a renewed awareness of their surroundings, considering how these three elements can align to create temporal moments of beauty.
