The Man Who Mistook a Mountain for a Minaret Painting

From the experience of the last two years working in a gifted studio my practice has changes radically. It is an immense moment in anyone's work when one realises a change in motivational thinking, my work has become a playground for objects, instead of this sort of environmental design exercise where I had been calling myself an "˜installation' artist. Although a wonderfully enjoyable way of working I felt more play needed to happen, thus I find myself in the midst of a history far greater than I have ever observed before. If there is such a thing as the art world I see sculpture as something that allows us to see who we are as animals whilst simultaneously holding a mirror up to what we have achieved in terms of our human endeavours, such as engineering and economics, democracy and an amazing history of inventions. My ideas often find their beginnings in various and diverse forms of popular culture including fables, religious text and political institutions, which are then altered and transformed into self created fictions of a rather different nature. The original sources are reinterpreted in order to illustrate playful stories of the uncertain and the fantastic: a time machine, a ship of fools, an alien signal broadcaster, a shrine to the Devil's tower. I find inspiration in many different places and the points of departure range from historical investigation to sci-fi hypothesising. The multi-layered narratives are ambiguous and mysterious, not easily understood but rather open to many possible interpretations. Thus my current practice has become homed round a sort of set of invented allegorical narratives where the text does not explain the work but accompanies as a biscuit would tea. I now know that the studio is a very delicate and personal place I have learnt to not take that idea for granted and fully appreciate what a privileged position we are all able to exist in. I know also it is of equal importance to find someone or a few people who "˜get' what your trying to do. Be that another artist or long or short-term friend, this past year I have felt that slightly lacking in my practice and consequently the dialogue between me and my work and others and their work, has become almost a lonesome task.