Outlet

Sculpture By The Sea, Bondi, 2018 - SOLD

185cm H(without base) x 45cm W x 45 cm D

Salvaged electrical cables & bronze.

"Creating complex  sculptures from electrical and digital waste is an outlet for the artist; a means to rewire and decode our problem of mindless waste."

Bronze Coating by Axolotl

Photos by Enzo Amato

Text taken from the Sculpture By The Sea Education program.

Outlet is a bronze coated, tight tangle of discarded electric cables wrapped around a bamboo form. Many of the salvaged cables were brand new and about to go into landfill. I have entwined them one after the next to form a complex, worm-like, tangle around an ambiguous form; is it a seed, a missile, a talisman, the philosopher’s stone or Kryptonite perhaps?

Outlet is about excessive consumption of resources. The tight knots and tangles allude to our entrapment by this easy, disposable culture that has dire consequences for our planet. The bronze coating celebrates and cements what was once a throw away item converting it from parasitic-like waste to an object of intrigue and delight. The title, Outlet, hints to the audience what material I have used and relates to my interest in digital transformation. However, the word ‘outlet' has many meanings, and for me the process of making this work was an emotional outlet to channel my frustration at our levels of waste and the desperately slow rate of societal change.

I like using common materials that people recognize as they already carry an inherent meaning for the audience. The bronze coating is an experiment enabled by Axolotl who have sponsored me. They have coated the work in bronze and aged it, I have polished it back to reveal golden highlights. The bronze gives my work integrity and a longer life.

One of my interests is in properties of emergent behaviour - the creation of complex systems through the repetition of simple actions or rules. For example tying each cable is a simple action that follows a few basic rules. After completing hundreds and hundreds of the same actions, a complex structure emerges. The rules in making Outlet are: the cables must be black; must attach to another cable at either end; must pull back tight and perpendicular to any loose cables crossed; must weave in a way that tightens the surface and fills in any empty space. What emerges is a visually very complex and unpredictable structure. The process drawings of Sol Lewitt are an example of art that has been created in this way.

In my practice I am interested in observations of the digital revolution and how this rapid rate of change has affected society and the environment. My process typically involves a lot of play and experimentation with materials. The materials I use are usually a big part of the concept itself and tell their inherent stories and draw the viewer into the visual puzzle.

More to come asap!