Claire Richenda Todd

In the pages of this website are photographs of sculpture, drawings, works in progress and sections of film. The sequences of images are not in chronological order, documents can be read across and through each other in a manner akin to Aby Warburg’s Mnemosyne Atlas.

Foundation: my first degree thesis was entitled ‘Space for Devotion’ (after Warburg’s lecture ‘On a Serpent Ritual’). I cited Warburg’s concept of ‘denkraum’ (literally translated as ‘think-space’) as made manifest in the physical movements of making, encountering and performing sculpture. In this process the mind is open to a new, unforeseen, present immanent unfolding of the tactile, spatial bodily intellect. This led to subsequent studies in stage design at HKU in Utrecht and DAMU School of Performing Arts, Prague, collaborations with choreographers and performers and sculptural experiments and interventions in public space.

My AHRC funded PhD was based in ceramic/glass (National Glass Centre, University of Sunderland) and woven textiles (KMD Bergen University, Norway). The PhD work examined how material may hold movement and be read through bodily gesture. My final thesis title was: 'Making and Movement: creating kinaesthetic narratives through applied art practice'. Extracts of my thesis are included in the Routledge publication, Beyond Disciplinarity (12/2020) and contributed to ‘Materialising Care’ at KMD Bergen University (2018 -21)

https://khib.academia.edu/clairetodd

I curate the visual arts programme at Pound Arts Centre, Wiltshire- producing 8-10 exhibitions/live events a year; including ‘Made for the Rhythm’ 05/22, ‘Love Letter Lost at Sea: Kit Johns’ 06/23; ‘Plant Kin: Richenda Todd’ 07/24; ‘Elemental’ Susan Derges, Christopher Bucklow, Nat Faulkner and Adam Fuss 02/25.

My current work process involves drawing choreographic scores; making ceramic models and combining ceramic, woven and painted textile as costume for live art.

I have just been awarded a DYCP Arts Council England grant to further my practice. I will document this in my journal from 04/2025 on.