Artist Statement 2010
My work has evolved from the initial idea of protection and entrapment. I look to many life issues for inspiration, from our own bodies and the functions or disfuntions that occur within us, to the culture we live in and the way protection often leads to becoming trapped within the confines of things like health and safety legislation.
I have explored these ideas through scultpure and photography and have used the flower as a means of visually exploring these ideas to create scultpure. The photographs of Rob Kesseler and Karl Blossfeldt have been a huge influence on the forms I create.
Having studied Biology I often been confronted with the notion of having to destroy to discover information. I have also been interested in the way nature protects and destroys. Beautiful structures containing seeds have to be destroyed for the future generation to be born or germinate.
Through this thinking process I have found a niche within public art to work with at risk communities to create artwork that is then protected within an sculptural cage structure I create and meaning that community artwork can be put on public or semi-public display without too much public interaction.
This working practice has enabled me to teach metal work and to use expensive materials like copper and aluminium within schools and community groups, incorporating the products of workshops within the final sculptures I create. Participants work then becomes protected by my scultptural cage forms for future generations to enjoy.
The internal elements are also entrapped and often can not be handled by the viewer just observed protecting the viewer from the work and the more fragile internal elements from the viewer.
