This is a small 11x16x2cm wall sculpture called Swan Lake 1. I made in Luang Prabang, Laos, when I was working as a volunteer there in 2017. It is made from a broken terra cotta tile and pieces of metal and plastic that I found on the streets during my daily walks.
I created some representational works that year, including this one where the mother swan and two goslings are created from bits of metal trash. However, the majority were more abstract or geometrical. They often juxtaposed different types of found objects, such as nuts and bobby pins, or cream chargers and hair clips.
My palette during this time was essentially silver-coloured, rust-coloured, wood grain and black, so I was fascinated with the subtle range of variations in scratches, patina and sheen of the objects I found. Many of the metal pieces had turned a fine shade of rust from months or years on the street before I ‘rescued’ them.
This work was in the exhibition ‘Grand Designs’ at North and West Melbourne Spring Fling in 2018.
