Installation for the APT Open Studios, Deptford, London. 2016 : Recycled insulation board, plywood, gold powder, operating 00 scale tanker wagons
This is another of my 'cosmological conceits' using the interstellar properties of recycled insulating board.
Occupying a corner of the studio, it describes an arc that generates the space for an interstellar orbit to operate. Disappearing into and emerging from this membrane is a model train of 3 tanker wagons that hold listings of stars - reddest, nearest and brightest. As such it is a description of the night sky but in terms of astronomical nomenclature. The installation seeks to re-assemble these listings within the ethic of scientific model-making.
Extending above the interstellar scene is an enigmatic element composed of splintered boards doused in gold powder. If the insulating boards are analogous to the night sky then this element represents something further - as aspiration of a heavens beyond that which is immediately apparent.
Gold historically has been the colour of representation of the heavens. Here you can see 'beyond' Space to something less amenable to direct observation. Even so, it is still less than perfect both in its splintered appearance and the fact that these boards were the result of the failure of an earlier piece - the failure of a 'Universe' if you like.
