Four weeks after collection and processing within the gallery space, the collected iron objects are put to rest. The memory remains- imprinted onto paper. A ghost of the physical presence that was there. A hard thing, to let them go. They have become a familiar daily presence. And so with all physical material, our bodies, our minds. The information will become absorbed into the elemental whole, return to the elements from which they were created.
Uthink/Hammersmith Arts Festival, Riverside Building, London W6
Four weeks after collection and processing within the gallery space, the collected iron objects are put to rest. The memory remains- imprinted onto paper. A ghost of the physical presence that was there. A hard thing, to let them go. They have become a familiar daily presence. And so with all physical material, our bodies, our minds. The information will become absorbed into the elemental whole, return to the elements from which they were created.
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On permanence.
I use Edding and Pilot permanent markers so I am assuming a certain degree of permanence. The uniqueness of the paper is very important -slightly shiny and resistant otherwise the markers soak in too much. I tend to be experimental with the mediums I use - more an exploration of process and not too concerned about archival longevity (perhaps I should be). The works called 'Domestic Science' are made with fruit jellies of varying flavours encapsulated in CD cases - and since 1998 a lot of them are still preserved! Especially strawberry... Makes you wonder what's in them. MARKER WORKS
Book of Trees project I often think "why don't I just give up the struggle and take out my oil paints instead of forcing this medium to do what it wasn't intended to do" -but then I realise that this is the pint of the project - the 'struggle', the creative conflict that forces me to do things in a different way. I like this 'collaboration', the way a third thing evolves as a result of my intention and the direction of the medium. Because the concept and the process is as important to me as the finished work I find that I am drawn to a variety of media. This is because the philosophical learning that occurs when an idea is fully realised can easily cross the media-line. This philosophical/universal enlightenment is the foundation behind my projects and the projects are united under a common banner. 'Trace Elements' has become a concept as much as a title for a finished piece. It embraces the idea of value arising from the humblest source- the poorest materials. Automobile Disc Brake -24 Jan 2014. Print on paper. 60 x 60cm
Returning from Gunnersbury Park with new work in my book of trees I am aware of how close to magic this thing is. How we artists conjure up material from the air. Mixing and blending -be it photons, particles or sound waves- is our never-ending adventure, the journey towards the Philosopher's Stone. Using industrial Edding markers in place of oils or pastels it is possible to steer even the most primitive, hard medium into submission. Indeed, I prefer the 'useful conflict' that an unconventional and difficult medium provides. The work then becomes evidence of something deeper than surface representation - it is the manifestation of symbiosis between man and material.
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AuthorPainter, film-maker, photographer, installation artist, musician. I move between these disciplines, sometimes blending, sometimes isolating. The process being dictated by the nature of the project. If in harmony, the work feeds back and provides a wholistic guidance from which other projects grow. Archives
June 2018
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