2020 was different

Shopping Trolley Observes Social Distancing in covid Lockdown. 2020

In 2020, the covid pandemic and lockdowns changed the collecting part of my practice considerably. It wasn’t possible to spend time on the coast like I had been doing or going anywhere else in the country, let alone go to my studio. I had brought a few materials home from my studio and during the first lockdown, I decided I would make one sculpture a day out of my food packaging that I was using during this time. I had a really good time doing this! This was just another way of thinking about consumerism, and how our food is packaged, but also how beautiful some of the packaging materials are when viewed as art making materials.

Making small sculpture with inexpensive materials and then painting these helped me pass the time creatively and constructively. I have continued to work with food packaging on all of my residencies as another way to document the time and the place.

Lockdown sculptures and plinths in my studio. 2020

Once the 1st lockdown was over, I got back to my studio and made a series of plinths for each small sculpture. The plinths were all made from materials that already existed in my studio. I later exhibited some of these at the Hastings City Art Gallery in East, a selected exhibition showcasing Hawke’s Bay Artists. (link?)