Sculpture - Taking the Smooth with the Rough
Candid Gallery March 31st to April 2nd
This work consists of two pieces, Pebble and Handheld which are designed to be handled. Through this touch, the DNA of its handlers will be transferred to the stones themselves prolonging its life. Alabaster donated by British Gypsum, Fauld Mine, Staffordshire.
Pebble
Alabaster 7 x 4.5 x 1.5cms.
Pebble fits into the palm of your hand, the stone can be caressed against the cheek, its cool smoothness soothing the skin. It is as if it has been worn away by the sea for hundreds of years. Its aim is to fulfil a need to connect with earth and its creation. Carving it was an act of connection. Not religious in any way, the initial idea of Pebble comes from a fossilised spinal disc that has been in my family for a long time. Holding it, I feel grounded, linking with something much older and larger than me. It makes me realise that whatever problems I feel I am having are insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Pebble tries to recreate this sensation for others.
Handheld
Alabaster 8.5 x 5.5 x 2.5 cms
Its companion piece, Handheld, shows its workings. Fingerprints are carved into the stone as if picking up a soft and malleable lump of clay, as if it was squishing as pressure was placed on it. Designed to be picked up with the left hand, the outer edge has what looks like hieroglyphics. Taken from the pattern of waves on the River Soar one windy day, this minimalist writing
Pebble and Handheld