Cornelia Parker

- Accompanies the first major survey of the artist's work in London - Includes work in all media from across Cornelia Parker's entire career - Offers a fascinating exploration of the themes and concerns in the work of one of the most important British artists working today Cornelia Parker's art is about destruction, resurrection and reconfiguration. Demonstrating the importance of process, she frequently transforms objects by using seemingly violent techniques such as shooting, exploding, squashing, cutting, dropping and burning. Through these actions she both physically alters the object and becomes an active participant in the development of its story. Parker is a best known for her large-scale installations, such as Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View 1991 for which she had a garden shed blown up by the British Army and suspended the fragments as if freezing the explosion process in time. Perpetual Canon 2004 is made up of brass band instruments, steamrollered flat. Much of her work has a poetic yet apocalyptic tone and often reflects a concern for the insidious effects of global warming and consumerism. A Turner-Prize nominee, Parker works in a wide variety of media, including drawings, photographs, embroidery and film, and has collaborated with a diverse range of organisations, individuals and groups in the creation of her works, including The Royal Mint, Abbey Road Studios, prisoners, school children, The Daughters of the Republic of Texas, whistleblowers, and Parliament and the Palace of Westminster. Made in close collaboration with the artist, and incorporating perspectives from a wide range of contributors, this book explores these relationships in an absorbing survey that encompasses all aspects of Parker's career from the late 1970s to the new work being made today. EDITOR ANDREA SCHLIEKER is Director of Exhibitions and Displays, Tate Britain CONTRIBUTORS Jo Applin, Georgina Baker, David Campany, Harry Dwyer, Margaret Iversen, David Lammy, Konstantin Novoselov, Alan Rusbridger, Andrea Schlieker, Jimmy Wales, Marina Warner