This body of work investigates ideas around symbiosis - the positive outcomes that happen when different materials, people & objects interact, collaborate and support each other.

     

In these sculptures all three materials work together - the balance, tension and partnership between the clay, wood and steel enables the sculpture to work.

     

The base of the sculptures are oak.  They are black because I have used Yakisugi (also known as Shou sugi ban) - a centuries-old technique that began in Japan. It involves charring the surface of wood to make it more resistant to moisture and more durable as a whole.  The carbon layer is extremely water-resistant; when the wood is being charred, the pores within the wood start to shrink and close making it more difficult for the wood to soak up and take on water.