Philip Morris

Description

My practise involves investigation into the potentiality of locally discarded material. Specific substances are broken down, exposing their fundamental attributes and eliminating any hierarchy of value. This condensed detritus is then reposited into an alternate form. The use of a common, universally recognisable form for this role allows the object to become a monument to the material and circumstance by which it was created.

Materials are chosen for their ubiquity within a one-mile circumference of my house. The potential for transformation and evidence of exposure to a particular environment are also important. Wood and paper are the substances that I have used most frequently for these reasons.

Due to the unpredictability and chance that is involved with using found materials, the appearance of the product is often surprising. Tonal differences, variations in colour and texture are unforeseen results of the process that has been applied to each substance, in particular the removal of its superficial qualities. This inquiry into material can lead to its reappropriation and a discovery of its inherent value.