Ref No2013.90
LevelCollection
Extent33 boxes
TitleStephen Cripps Archive
Date1950s-1990s
ArtistStephen Cripps, (1952-1982)
BiographicalHistorySculptor and performance artist Stephen Cripps (1952-82) showed early artistic ability when he attended Cranleigh School and with the encouragement of his art master, Howard Pickersgill, began painting and making sculpture. Cripps went on to study at Bath Academy of Art, Corsham, Surrey, (1970-4), where he developed and staged choreographed performances involving machines, film, sound and light. His interest in kinetic art developed during the course and for his thesis he wrote on the work of Jean Tinguely (1925-91). On graduating, Cripps took a studio in Butler's Wharf, London, a location that was then the hub of experimental artistic practice. Here he lived, worked and stored salvaged objects for his work.

His artistic practice was realised in performance based and transitory works, utilising a heady mixture of automotive sculptures made from found objects, urban sounds and explosives. During his short career Cripps exhibited machine and sound installations including 'Spills and Thrills' at Bath Academy (1974), 'Machine Dances' at Bath and Tufnell Park Community Festivals (1974-6) and 'Machine for Birds' at the Serpentine Gallery Summer Show III (1975). He staged three solo exhibitions at The Acme Gallery, London, (1978, 1980 and 1981), and numerous pyrotechnic performances in the UK, Europe and America. He increasingly collaborated with other artists and musicians, including the percussionist Paul Burwell, the performance artist Anne Bean and the London Musicians' Collective.
DescriptionThe Stephen Cripps Archive comprises c.800 drawings, notes and sketches related to the artist's practice; correspondence and papers; photographs; scrapbook; financial papers; school papers; medical records; fire service training papers and audio-visual materials.
ArrangementFollowing Stephen Cripps' death his archive was cared for by several friends. Sections of his archive were sorted and part listed whilst others were wholly unsorted and disordered. The majority of the drawings in the archive were in disarray. Rather than work with the part listed sections, the following arrangement was created to provide a clear framework for the collection:

2013.90/A1 Drawings
2013.90/A2 Unrealised drawings
2013.90/A3 Notebooks
2013.90/A4 Gallery Plans
2013.90/A5&6 Set designs & portraits
2013.90/B Film recordings
2013.90/C Sound recordings
2013.90/D Student Photographs
2013.90/E Photographs related to performances
2013.90/F Butler’s Wharf photographs
2013.90/G Source photographs
2013.90/H Correspondence
2013.90/I Artistic Practice
2013.90/J Corsham
2013.90/K Personal papers
2013.90/L Press cuttings and reviews
2013.90/M Magazines
2013.90/N Interviews
2013.90/O Publicity material
2013.90/P Printed material
2013.90/Q Stephen Cripps Trust
2013.90/R Objects

AccessConditionsAvailable to all registered researchers. The Archive is open by appointment only.
Persons
CodePersonNameDates
DS/UK/585Cripps; Stephen Charles (1952-1982); Artist1952-1982
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