I hand-cut the mounting panels from rusted steel plate, cut to different sizes in proportion to each piece. The fixings were welded to the mounting plates, relating to each other so that the centres of the rods would align horizontally, despite the plates varying in size and shape.
I used yacht rigging to hang the pieces, highlighting the contrast of the clean, modern stainless steel, the rusted backing plates and the random form of the sculpture elements.
Lit with halogen spotlights, the chains cast intriguing shadows across a wall.
it is an unusual piece that evokes different feelings in people. Beyond the individual elements, the effect of the installation as a whole is both brutal and playful.
The pieces have a reassuring solidity, held in balance by the stainless steel brightwork and ordered to create relationships with their neighbours.
I like to think of them as industrial jewellry.
chains
2014
Steel and stainless steel. Series of 10.
1000mm – 2100mm
Installation length 6000mm
Each piece has a personality and uniqueness of form that I wanted to capture. There is a beautiful simplicity in the chains that gives them a sort of playfull nature, in contrast to their sometimes ominous connotations.
The composition of each element came together quite spontaniously, after this followed a long period of spacial consideration.
This series of works came about from my ongoing fascination with steel. I wanted to create an instalation exploring weight, tension and shape with pieces of steel I had collected over the years.
