Receptor
Edelbert Köb

Julie Hayward’s sculptures and sculptural installations can best be described as imaginary, surreal or even dialectical. These are bizarre formations that are both biomorphous and technoid. Hayward proceeds from the subconscious, making use of the artistic method of “automatism“ to bring her ideas to paper as directly as possible and to later transform them into three-dimensional sculptures. For "Luftwerke" she has created the "Receptor" – a strange formation that consists of two funnels that are connected by means of a tube. As in all of Hayward’s works, there is not only the psychoanalytic approach and the questioning of prevailing notions of reality, but also humor that figures significantly. The title "Receptor" can be understood from the perspective of biology which describes those sensual cells that supply our central nervous system with the most important information. Formally, Hayward’s funnels – that also resemble stethoscopes or loudspeakers – can be associated most aptly with auditory perception. Seen in this light, these sculptures can be viewed as a tool that can serve to improve one’s own inner communication with the outside world.

Printed in:
Airworks, Kunst für einen Tag / Art for one Day
Ed. Borealis AG, Linz 2009,
on the occasion of the same-titled exhibition, Linz, 2009