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JWM: I based the proportions of Trio on the median average height and shoulder width of myself and two individuals who are dear to me. I envisioned the rods standing up straight and poised, like a Greek kyros. However, inevitably the slightest ground tremble and even air drafts cause the 6 mm rods to sway around until they regain a centre of gravity. Like bodies, these objects are not fixed in space and time, but rather subject to the conditions of their environment and relation to external forms. I find this potential for movement and the way they lean towards one another reassuring. Another mutable aspect of the sculpture is the imperceptibly slow tarnishing of the brass - an aging process. The intrinsic qualities of the material serve as a reminder that bodies are rarely as they ‘should be’ i.e. upright, straight, stable for any length of time. I set the three rods in the base at 45 cm intervals, suggesting ‘shoulder-to-shoulder’ proximity, which at the time of writing is still not possible due to the Covid-19 pandemic. For me, Trio embodies the frustrated desire for intimacy and face-to-face interactions during this period of disruption to our social order. 

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Trio, 2020, brass, oak, 135 x 180 x 20 cm

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Work Detail

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Studio installation view, 2020

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Work detail

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Trio IV, 2020, copper rods, timber, linen, 34 x 45 x 4 cm

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