Linder Sterling

Linda Sterling (b 1954), often known just as Linder, is a visual artist, performance artist and musician, who played a key part in the late 1970s punk and post-punk scene in Manchester. She is a radical feminist and known for her collages, which often combined images taken from pornographic magazines with images from women’s fashion and domestic magazines, particularly those of domestic appliances.

During her residency at Porthmeor Studio 5 as part of the Tate St Ives Artists Programme, Linder researched the life and work of Barbara Hepworth, especially Hepworth’s participation in the annual Penwith Arts Ball and her friendship with the composer Priaulx Rainier. She also collaborated on a series of activities including ‘The Ultimate Form’, a ballet choreographed by Linder and Kenneth Tindall, which is based on Hepworth’s monumental sculptural work ‘The Family of Man’. This was performed by dancers from Northern Ballet in February 2014 at the St Ives Theatre.