Public Sculpture & Interventions
Public Sculptural projects are always interesting to me as the audience has chosen to visit the building and then they come upon a artwork which is often an intervention or the artist's response to that space. It often provokes new thoughts by providing a new or different commentary on one or several of the ideas that are concerned with that Public Space.
I am interested in materials and their original purpose and how I might add or change the viewers perception of what those materials are used for. Survival Blankets are gold or silver and convey a specific meaning and so when applied to e.g. to trees and architectural spaces they bring those meanings of 'survival' & 'protection' with them. I am currently in conversation with St John's Church in Glastonbury with a site specific research project for 2025.
I am interested in materials and their original purpose and how I might add or change the viewers perception of what those materials are used for. Survival Blankets are gold or silver and convey a specific meaning and so when applied to e.g. to trees and architectural spaces they bring those meanings of 'survival' & 'protection' with them. I am currently in conversation with St John's Church in Glastonbury with a site specific research project for 2025.
Cathedrals Re: Formation - larger installations and Minsters
Within the overall Re: Formation group of installations, I am offering a series of works to churches and cathedrals in England (and one in the USA). The theme is to promote awareness of the disparity of the ideas of the church within every community in Britain that is dealing with contemporary pressures. Exodus is a site-specific installation made in response to displaced people who find themselves without a home through circumstances beyond their making, i.e. warfare, poverty and homelessness. The use of gold survival blankets is a reference to the blankets given out by first responders to people who find them selves exposed and cold. Larger projects will have many wrapped columns and for smaller church projects one or two columns will be wrapped with two small figures place at one base.
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This project seeks to raise questions about compassion and empathy in our society. My aim in larger spaces is to create a dramatic effect that appears ‘golden’ and ‘splendid’ - but with deeper reflection the viewer will realise that the materials are used for survival purposes.
The Homeless
Since the refugee crisis of 2015, when so many Syrians had to flee their ancient homelands, I have been making work around ideas of loss, fragility, diversity and sustainability, in the hope that when the viewer looks at my work they may be reminded or even triggered into thinking about what is important particularly in our increasingly changing societal values today. I made life size 3D cloth figures in a forward foetal reminiscent of someone praying or begging.
Above an iteration of 'Refugees' - as exhibited at The Bishop's Palace, Wells, Somerset July-Oct 2019. Courtesy Heritage Courtyard Gallery
Re: Formation - smaller installations - local churches
2025: An example of a smaller version of Re: Formation which are intended for churches as opposed to Cathedrals and they are site-specific installations in the sense they respond to the specific layout of a variety of small churches in the South West of England. At the end of 2024 we are currently in conversation with St John's in Glastonbury with a site specific research project for 2025.
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In larger spaces I aim to create a dramatic effect that appears ‘golden’ and ‘splendid’ but on closer look the viewer will see the materials are used for survival purposes. So in this case the aim is to make the audience think anew about the issue of displaced people, including those who live on our streets and those who have struggled to journey from their homeland to seek safety in Europe from warfare, poverty and homelessness.
An installation of a proportion more fitting to a smaller church - and in some ways more impactful - would feature less columns wrapped and less figures of displaced people who find themselves without a home through circumstances beyond their making. So for instance a work consisting of between 1-3 pillarswrapped in gold survival blankets and 1 to 2 life-sized sculptures of human figures perhaps wrapped in silver survival blankets (to underline their further displacement in contemporary society, where silver is less than gold), will be placed on the floor within the cathedral or a side chapel. I will consult with each church authority as I roll out these installations through 2025 - 2027.
An installation of a proportion more fitting to a smaller church - and in some ways more impactful - would feature less columns wrapped and less figures of displaced people who find themselves without a home through circumstances beyond their making. So for instance a work consisting of between 1-3 pillarswrapped in gold survival blankets and 1 to 2 life-sized sculptures of human figures perhaps wrapped in silver survival blankets (to underline their further displacement in contemporary society, where silver is less than gold), will be placed on the floor within the cathedral or a side chapel. I will consult with each church authority as I roll out these installations through 2025 - 2027.
*A note on Church and Cathedral spaces
I have worked in many cathedrals around the world and understand how to act and install work. In the case of larger installs, a scissor-lift operated by a qualified driver will be used. Extreme care and consideration will be given to the ancient building and pillars. Health & Safety requirements will be adhered to and artist insurances will be in place. A meeting and site visit will take place before the artwork is installed and drawings of the plan presented by the artist.
In the smaller installations in churches of say one to three columns, installation can be achieved in 6 hours, whereas larger installations will take 2 days. An ‘open-sock’ with a liner starts at the floor and is pulled up to the top of each column and carefully tied to secure it - these are very light structure and no harm will be done to the architecture.
I have worked in many cathedrals around the world and understand how to act and install work. In the case of larger installs, a scissor-lift operated by a qualified driver will be used. Extreme care and consideration will be given to the ancient building and pillars. Health & Safety requirements will be adhered to and artist insurances will be in place. A meeting and site visit will take place before the artwork is installed and drawings of the plan presented by the artist.
In the smaller installations in churches of say one to three columns, installation can be achieved in 6 hours, whereas larger installations will take 2 days. An ‘open-sock’ with a liner starts at the floor and is pulled up to the top of each column and carefully tied to secure it - these are very light structure and no harm will be done to the architecture.