Dancing in Grandma's Ashes

Zinc-plated steel, enamel paint, string, marine felt

xxx cm high

2016

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Future ancestors

Will thank descendents of yore

For their bone structure.

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The sculptures in this series occupy a space between figuration and abstraction, positive and negative space, drawing and sculpture; and contrasts industrial forms and materials with a sense of balance, gait and drama that appears human or creature-like.  

 

In Ovid’s Metamorphosis, Narcissus was transformed into a flower after spending inordinate amounts of time staring, infatuated, at his own reflection in a stream: “...In his body’s place a sweet flower grew, golden and white, the white around the gold.” The flower is a daffodil, the scientific name for the genus is ‘Narcissus’, and is where this body of work took their collective name from. 

 

Unlike the original Narcissus whose transformation was final, these works appear to be both figurative and abstract sculptures. The series of sculptures have a definite base and head, are roughly within human height range, and resemble a human figure in their gesture and weight bearing. Viewers may refer unconsciously to certain elements of the sculpture as ‘legs’ ‘arms’ and ‘ears’.