The Wall
The Wall, 2023, mixed media, dimensions variable
A wise woman told me that stone is a symbol of ancient knowledge. The Wall is a work about ancient knowledge, nature, time, and myself. Made from limestone rocks taken from a wall in Gloucestershire, these stones have appeared in many different forms and as many individual works, ‘The Torr’, ‘Flimsy’, ‘White Line’, ‘The Cragg’, and ‘yes, betroathed’. Before being made into the wall in the garden these stones would have been at the bottom of the ocean. Occasionally, you can still see shells in the rocks. Transferring them in my car, from Gloucestershire, to my studio at the RCA, I have made some memorable journeys with these stones. I have moved them, clothed them, built over them. It has been a love affair and they have become my opus wallus.
These stones often feel totemic. They are mysterious. Little bits of nature, which are permanent. A plant dies, but a rock never dies. They have existed so much longer than us and will continue to exist long after we have gone. In Gloucestershire much of the stone has fossils from the bottom of the ocean. I want to honour these stones, their existence and knowledge. They also represent the ancient knowledge that I would like to stand for in this time of errancy. Often I have added spikes to the stones, I am not sure if these are protective of an attacking armour. An eccentric response to the RCA studio, the public realm. To me, the stones feel so strong yet fragile. When working with them, I am also looking at building unconventional combinations, for example the stones with plastic bag, empty packets of chocolate buttons, newspapers. I am interested to see how these discarded objects can talk with the stones and how far I can push these associations. Contradictions are very present within The Wall, the stones are silent but I feel they lend themselves to poetry. They are ancient but interacting with discarded objects from our time, they are motionless but have moved multiple times.
Currently The Wall exists as a pile outside my studio back in their homeland, in Gloucestershire. I hope they echo me and I look forward to seeing them appear again in my work.
Indoor construction site with scattered rocks and white lines on the concrete floor, partially finished wall with exposed wooden framing, and construction tools and materials in the background.
An art installation features two paintings on a plain white wall, with a red pipe running horizontally below them and white lines painted on the grey floor, surrounded by rocks.
An indoor space with large windows, benches, and a cart with bags. In the foreground, there are scattered papers with sketches, a small pile of rocks, and some crumpled tissue paper and plastic bags on the floor.
A pile of rocks and dirt on a smooth concrete floor in an empty room with black benches, wire baskets, and framed plaques on the wall.
A makeshift sculpture made of rocks, black plastic cones, and red string, with crumpled paper and snack wrappers scattered around.
An art installation composed of a circular arrangement of rocks with black cones, painted paper, and other materials attached, set on a concrete floor in an indoor space that appears to be a studio or workshop.
A large rock garden with sharp black cone-shaped spikes, some rocks, and painted paper signs, one with a yellow circle, arranged on a concrete floor.
A pile of rocks, various ropes, and crumpled papers on the floor, with a black soccer cone on top of the rocks.
A pile of rocks on a smooth floor in front of a metal railing with a staircase and large windows in the background.