Blocks 2011

In giving this series the title Blocks I am not only referring to the basic
units of their construction, but also to the spirit of play that drove their conception and construction. Having determined the basic outline of
their composition – the range and limits of variation – I commissioned
a cabinet maker to precisely cut and lacquer a selection of m.d.f.
blocks in 6 sizes and 5 colours. When received I laid them all out
on a large table and spent several days quietly stacking and
arranging these simple forms until I arrived at a final design.

Employing the rudimentary architectural forms of plinth, post and lintel,
this work promptly evokes recognition of iconic, primary structures.
Their asymmetrical composition, while it might disobey strict architectural
principles, is nonetheless kept in balance through a considered
arrangement of each unit’s size and the specific weight of their colour;
a kind of dynamic rotation is created that defies geometric stability,
but grants an harmonic counter-balance.

This series of high relief, wall mounted work reiterates the basic aesthetic principles that have driven my work from the outset. My aim is to complicate
and enliven the visual field by putting light and shadow into explicit relation
with viewer, to elicit a sense of motion and time, and a greater awareness
of the wider space that the work and we occupy.