10/2021 - 07/2022
The year leading up to this exhibition saw a sculptural and installation-based approach develop, influenced by impulse and openness to possibility; a punk-like aesthetic naturally evolved. Play and materiality are central aspects of my practice. Combinations of robust and lightweight materials, contrasting in nature, further feeds into ideas of excessiveness and absurdity in this installation. Acting on impulse makes my work hard to unravel, not understood through logic, requiring audiences to examine their perceptions and understandings.
I created a consuming and immersive space for degree show, where works are considered alongside each other, translating, relating and having a conversation. The scaffolding’s deliberate structure guides viewers through the interactive installation. The ceramic mesh layers suspended across the scaffolding also contribute to guiding viewers through the space; functioning in a similar way as an optical illusion, the works behind the layers are not completely clear until audiences walk around the layers to reveal these works. A large aspect of my work is the interaction my audience has with it. The work and audience are reliant on each other. Withholding space, having other works behind these ceramic layers encourages viewers to interact, walking through the space. The pink hue cast over the room added an atmosphere, whilst translating to the pink in some of my other works. The frequent use of excessive and absurd materials, thick chain, large carabineers, oversized bolts and hooks, to install and suspend works runs throughout the installation, contrasting to my works lightweight nature, feeding into the developing conversation around trickery and deception, almost creating a facade, the juxtaposition of these materials isn’t instinctively clear. The videos contain snippets taken from my final year degree show in Newcastle.
