A Selection of Indoor Artworks

Yugen

Yugen is an artwork created in collaboration with one of my very good friends and an eco-fashion textile artist, Alla Salem WoolSi (@wool_si) • Instagram photos and videos. It is an artwork inspired by the Japanese concept of the ‘profound, mysterious beauty of nature that is deeply felt, yet hard to define’. You know that feeling when you are totally immersed in nature and have no words to describe that awe and connection…

Yugen reflects the duality of our relationship with nature, our dependence on resources and the consequences of exploitation. Through the interplay of hard copper and soft wool, we are reminded of our shared role as both custodians of the earth and consumers of its resources.

Responding to Alla’s beautifully felted piece, I worked with recycled copper, chosen for both its lightness and its symbolic link to mining. This was my first time using copper, and I fell in love with its soft, malleable nature. I explored its textures through hammering and treated it like fabric, sewing the sheets together to echo the textile theme of our exhibition. Experimenting with verdigris, I used chemicals like ammonia, salt, and vinegar to create rich blue-green hues, sanding back areas to reveal warm copper tones that complement Alla’s work.

Anatomy of a Family

Anatomy of a Family

Family gives us roots and wings.

Roots hold us in place until we are ready to fly.

Roots give:

Foundation. Wisdom.

History. A coming from.

Wings give:

Autonomy. Free will.

New beginnings. A going to.

No matter who you are

two lives united

to create your existence

Rolled and welded steel rod create two abstract, winged forms. One wing represents my mother’s ancestral line, the other my father’s. The rod splits and branches within the wings depicting previous generations. These wings are kinetic in nature as they capture air movement.

Natural viscose fibres have been used to create a handmade fabric, light, delicate and translucent in nature. This juxtaposes the ethereality of our existence with the strength of our ancestry embodied in the steel rod.

Loose hand stitch captures both vivid and fading memories from the past and present. For example, on my mother’s side, notice a pair of loose chain stitched scissors representing my great grandfather, who was a tailor. These scissors, sharpened almost to the end of their life, are still used by my great aunt today in her dress making. Sewing, threads its way through my mother’s line as my grandmother and mother were also dressmakers….

A selection of other indoor artworks