Artist Statement:

‘Crossing the Border’ series I - IV
Furniture, ceramic, glass, cabling, light bulbs.

Currently my work is concerned with the boundaries of self. We all contain within us the abject and the grotesque. I am interested in how these states break through the skin of civilisation that normally contains them.

The series ‘Crossing the Border’ explores the emotional reactions to this exposure of our abject selves. The ceramic form lives in the piece of furniture in which it was made. Retreating into their own world these pieces present an attitude of melancholia, sometimes defensive, sometimes aggressive, often passive. I use light bulbs and electrical cables to reinforce this sense of retreat and also to introduce, in some pieces, elements of interrogation and threat. Appearing in the context of a darkened room, these pieces both attract and repel.