Immaterial

Immaterial presents a face as a spectre, suspended within layered space. Its closed eyes suggest sleep or blindness, giving the encounter a sense of inwardness and withdrawal. Spriggs was inspired by Napoleon’s death mask. Here, the likeness occupies a liminal state between bodily presence and disappearance.

Made in 2001, the work is an early study of the human form in layered transparency. As the viewer moves, the features gather and disperse through depth, giving this immaterial form an elusive presence. Transparency becomes a material for holding a likeness beyond the solidity of the body, with the fragile persistence of a memory.