"Rusty", part of the installation "Duckegg"
Specifics
A 2.6 x 2.1 x 2.1m (8ft 6" x 6ft 10" x 6ft 10") pyramid made of 20 individual laser-cut pieces attached to a wooden frame, meaning it could be entirely dismantled and flat packed for transport. The measurements were according to the Golden Ratio which I learned specifically for this piece. It was painted with high-gloss black paint and clear coat giving an incredible, almost metallic shine, with satin stretched across the ceiling. The point of the pyramid just pushed into the satin giving the illusion that it was connecting to the 'sky'. UV strip lights ran around the room that encased the pyramid and a UV pendant light hung in the centre of the piece. The walls featured a number of patterns and written pieces in UV security markers, which glowed under the light. Together they made up the site-specific immersive installation named "Duckegg". This was my degree show piece and was displayed at the Ambika P3 Gallery in Baker Street, London.
Inspiration and purpose
This was made for my Grandad after his passing. He went suddenly and before I was able to see him again. As one part of the two that raised me, he was a major part of my life and had a profound impact on my interests and skills. He got me my first books on space, physics, and advanced ancient civilisations, and, being an engineer, taught me about machinery and tools. He would bring home drawings of machine parts for me to look at while learning technical drawing. He told me my first UFO story which was something he personally experienced and sent me down the rabbit hole that I have been wandering through since.
All of this seeps into absolutely every aspect of my work, and I wanted to sum it up in a piece , especially for him. The high-gloss finish of the piece - and all pieces of this nature - is an imitation of the finish on the UFO he saw, the build and planning represent the engineering interest and skills he taught me, and the shape references the ancient builders that I read about in the many books he bought me with the 'portal' at the back depicting the travel of the soul as it returns to its origins. The inside of the pyramid had repetitions of The Yorkshire Motto, a nod to his origins which played a significant role in shaping me, and in the centre of the pyramid were his t-shirt, a Buddha statue that he gave me, and his business card.
'Ear all, see all, say nowt;
Drink all, eat all, pay nowt;
If yer want owt for nowt do it yer sen.'
Designs for "Rusty". Front and back centre; left and right are, well, left and right.
Initially done on paper with technical drawing equipment then later digitised for laser cut in Adobe Illustrator.