Wooden objects, furniture and set pieces in theatre and performance has been my focus up until the present. In the fellowship I’d explore my interest in reclamation and restoration from a conceptual perspective and within the context of installation. In the past I have already begun this process by making small or fluid sculptures with offcuts. I’m fascinated in what emerges when these factors 1) the human eye/hand and 2) wooden offcuts are placed together within a sculptural aim. Joyous, adaptive and almost accidental this object arises from the negative shape of another and is a small protest against waste. The opposite is also true – by using waste materials in a repeatedly positive way – the artist is benefitting from, or even complicit with this way of making.
I’m also interested in the juxtaposition with the rough offcut and the traditional join/polished finish. The traditional join is an anchor to the past and to craft, a way of building trust with the viewer based on skill and credentials, a signifier of tools and machinery. The rough offcut is a reference to the messiness of thoughts, feelings and lifestyle, the ever-present imposter syndrome and a fear of success.
The offcut work offers an aesthetic comparison of difference species and types of wood when you put them side-by-side. I find that the contrast in texture, colour and finish and purpose creates a visual pattern that surprises but also explores the hierarchies between materials and how workshops use them according to price, strength and if they are seen.
My aim is to create a series of sculptures that form an installation and invite the spectator to move between them – to create works that are playful and surprising and reference each other like individuals in a family or buildings in a town.
