Artist statement
Sometimes playful but at the same time deadly serious, I aim to inspire people to think and act differently by focusing on issues in an unusual and engaging way and via projects that are seriously researched but 'off the wall' in their execution. Often humorous - even surreal - in tone, my work is deliberately accessible with a strong aesthetic. Initial impressions are often visually stunning (huge installations or bold displays of multiple items) - but the sting is in the detail... it shocks while it entertains.
I transform modest materials (rubbish, earth and air) into something that is valued but which at the same time provokes, paradoxically commenting on consumerism through the subversion of consumerism's tools.Often I make 'keepsakes' (souvenirs, matchboxes, seed packets) - I like the idea of providing a visual reminder and a talking point to take away.
Process (for example, walking and collection) are vital elements of my practice - as is my website which both documents and is the work.
I see my work as a catalyst. I do not want my audience to be bowled over by my craftsmanship or by the desire to own an object, but, rather, to be blown away by what it makes them think or do. I want to make waves - to create an unforgettable message and to really inspire change.
Qualifications and training
- 2007 Body Politic (art, ecology & social justice), Birkbeck College, London
- 2006 BA Hons Visual Studies 1st Class, Norwich School of Art & Design, Norwich
Solo exhibitions
- 2012 Beached, Jaywick Martello Tower, Jaywick, Essex
- 2012 Hutliving Here and There, Bridport Arts centre, Bridport, Dorset
- 2011 Lines of Exchange, Snape Maltings, Suffolk
- 2010 Cast Away on Orford Ness, National Trust, Orford Ness, Suffolk
- 2009 Found Out, Babylon Gallery, Ely
- 2009 Future Beach, Earth Summit, Isles of Scilly
- 2009 Your Ocean, Time and Tide Museum, Great Yarmouth
- 2009 Earth Sea and Air, Craftco Gallery, Southwold
- 2009 Life Savings, The Cut, Halesworth
- 2008 Walking to save some sea, Landguard Fort, Felixstowe
- 2008 Plastic Fantastic?, RISC, Reading
- 2007 Walking to save some sea, Babylon Gallery, Ely
Group exhibitions
- 2012 Skeleton Sea, Lisbon Oceanario, Lisbon, Portugal
- 2012 Skeleton Sea, Batán de Villava y Molino San Andrés, Pamplona, Spain
- 2011 Skeleton Sea, Torre Madriaga Biodoversity Centre, Mundaka, Spain
- 2011 Art and Coastal Change, Aldeburgh, Suffolk
- 2009 15 Artists, 15 Days, firstsite, Colchester
- 2009 Flat Art from East Anglia, The Big Shed, Stanny House Farm, Iken
- 2009 Blue Sky, Ruskin Gallery, Cambridge
- 2009 Felixstroll Path Weekend, South beach, Felixstowe
- 2009 BASH Sustainable Art Awards, BASH Studios, London
- 2007 Platform 7, Bury St Edmunds Art Gallery, Suffolk
Artist talks
- 2010 The Art of Litter, documentary, Radio 4
- 2008 Walking to save some sea, Marine Conservation Society Conference, Portsmouth
Residencies
- 2009 Brisons Veor, Cape Cornwall, Cornwall
Projects
- 2011 A Year at the Edge, Thorpeness, Suffolk
- 2011 Development of landingstage.net website for Suffolk artists/writers engaging with coastal and climate change, Alde and Ore Coast and Estuary, Suffolk
- 2010 Programme of artist residencies (ongoing), Sudbourne, Suffolk
Competitions, prizes and awards
- 2009 Runnner-up BASH Sustainable Art Awards, BASH studios, London
- 2007 Platform 7 bursary, Bury St Edmunds Art Gallery, Suffolk
- 2007 Babylon Bursary for emerging artist, Babylon Gallery, Ely
- 2006 Richardson-Brown Travel prize, Norwich School of Art & Design, Norwich
Personal website
