One of my sculptural interests is large outdoor works that can be entered and seen from the inside out. These works are sculptures on the scale of buildings, or buildings that use the visual vocabulary of sculpture, rather than the language of architecture. As a sculpture, ‘Walk right in’ responds to the Russian modernist work known as ‘Tatlin’s tower,’ and Hossein Amanat’s Azadi monument. As a building, it demonstrates a technique for creating dynamic spaces in wood, with an effect completely different to the static effect of standard timber framing. The material is high quality Pinus radiata, with MCA treatment (an environmentally preferred product replacing tanalising). So the work is also a reminder of the important role of P. radiata in the New Zealand Northland economy, and a thank-you to those who have developed better cultivars, management plans and treatments.
My sculpture practice lies somewhere between micro-architecture and
autonomous sculpture, as I am interested in creating internal spaces
as well as surfaces and shadows. A sculpture can be as well designed
as a building / a building can be as sculptural as a work of art.
I’ve been working on a series of built sculptures that I call modernist post structures, using reciprocal frame structures as a sculptural form, and common fencing and farming supplies as a material. The repeated sloping pattern of the elements and the constant measurements make for a dynamic space, both inside and around the work.
Works in
the Modernist Post Series:
Every Angle, 2014
Lemon Squeezer + Domino theory, 2014
Walk Right In, 2015
Spin-off, 2015