Francis Cape,
A Gathering of Utopian Benches

A Gathering of Utopian Benches

The newly realized performance space on CAS’s second floor hosts British sculptor Francis Cape’s A Gathering of Utopian Benches (2011-22)—meticulous copies of benches built and used by communal societies. Cape’s installations have always argued that design and craft express belief. Utopian Benches, which has toured extensively throughout the US, was built from poplar grown near Cape’s studio in Narrowsburg, NY. To be considered both as contemporary sculpture as well as furniture that can be actively used by visitors, the benches reference the societies who first used them, inviting visitors to utilize them for exchange, discourse, and community. The installation, which is meant to be used by visitors both for contemplation and may be used for performance seating, overlooks an expansive wall of windows onto the Willowemoc Creek.

Detail photographs by Zach Hyman.

About the Artist

British sculptor Francis Cape first experimented with wood carving in 1974 in York, England. He later received his BFA from City and Guilds of London Art School in 1982 and MFA from Goldsmiths College, University of London in 1991. The artist’s Utopian Benches (2011-4) exhibition toured extensively to Arcadia University Gallery, Glenside, PA; ICA, Portland, ME; Tang Museum, Saratoga Springs, NY; Murray Guy, NY; SFAI, San Francisco, CA; Shaker Museum, Mount Lebanon, NY; Steirischer Herbst, Graz, Austria. Cape and his wife have a home and studio in Narrowsburg, NY.