Ruskin’s Chair

This body of work came as a response to Brantwood House, John Ruskin’s residence on the shores of Lake Coniston. My working practice often involves gathering the materials of place and re-arranging or re-presenting them, (effectively playing with them), so that I can begin to build some sort of response. In an attempt to see beyond the obvious and dig down into ideas of authenticity I focussed on two very elusive, but decidedly present materials: light and dust. Both are untamed, by their very nature they spill, and within the house there is a constant battle to control both ( a very Victorian concern!). By using a combination of ‘found’ artefacts (mostly furniture, some of which was already in situ within the house - but also some photographs developed from found photographic negatives) as  ‘reflective surfaces’, analogue and digital photographic methods allowed me to manipulate and expose the presence of these omnipresent materials. Within these works I attempt to speak to the inherent messiness and unpredictability of matter, the necessity and ubiquity of dark corners and the instinct in all of us to turn towards  the light.