My work revolves around the small histories and stories of a particular place or object and the way these stories interact with the outside world. My current practice reflects a fascination with both museums and the personal memorabilia we all gather, asking the audience to examine how we view such artefacts today. The process of collecting, cataloguing, documenting and display are all key elements in my working process. I work in a range of media that include casting, installation, collage, assemblage, photograms, light-boxes, projections and sound.
Recent work has included “National Memory - Local Stories” a creative participation project lead by The National Portrait Gallery, London and a residency at The Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire Museum in Salisbury. I am currently working on the International collaborative project Cicatrix.
The Captain’s Cabinet
For b-side I will be creating a piece of work inspired by an account of a Dorset shipwreck in which parts of the ship were salvaged and used as furniture in homes on shore. A Captain’s cabinet ended up being built into a bedroom wall and used as a cupboard. My work ‘The Captain’s Cabinet’ is an old cupboard that stands in a dark corner as though abandoned, but when opened reveals an illuminated underwater world that tells stories of Portland’s shipwrecks. It will tell the tales of such shipwrecks as The Earl of Abergavenny and The Royal Adelaide using fluorescing liquids, cast objects and etched images. The work will include recordings about shipwrecks taken from historical accounts and contrasted with current descriptions by divers. The Captain’s Cabinet will be part museum, part cabinet of curiosity and part memorial.
Both photos taken by Martin Urmso.
