Plan B17C – More Star Wars Less Ponies. 2022
(Glazed earthenware and unfired stoneware clay, office table and bucket) 

This sculptural work looks to an understanding of place beyond the dappled light of the forest and towards our human desire for energy, through consumption of natural resources, and the regenerative power of the non-human world.

I grew up on the opposite edge of the New Forest to Fawley PowerStation, but it was in my peripheral vision. To me this architecture was, and still is an historical vision of the future. Which is probably why it was used as a film set for sci-fi films such as Rollerball (1975) and Solo: A Star Wars movie (2018). 

Fawley did not operate continuously but came online at times of high demand. Its highest output was in 1984/5 as associated with the shortage of coal for coal-fired power stations during the Miners’ Strike.

14-year-old me would come home from school in the late 1980’s and tap into the national grid to watch Neighbours on the television and play on my Spectrum the 48k (rubber keys) rather than go for a walk in the forest any day of the week. 

In this work sections of the former Fawley PowerStation, rendered in clay, can be identified amongst the rubble. On top of this sits a cluster of glazed ceramic mussels.

Mussels are a recurring motif in my recent work. A bivalve mollusc, often described as a filter feeder, that through the filtration process takes on the heroic role of aquatic ecosystem engineer. To me It signifies nature’s ability to filter and rejuvenate the stuff we leave behind, a sign of hope, regeneration, and revival.

Exhibited as part of Dappled Light (group show) at Woodgreen Village Hall Curated by More Than Ponies  (2022)

 

Photo: SLD 2022

 

Photo SLD 2022

Photo SLD 2022 (Woodgreen Village Hall mural in background)

Photo SLD 2022