Chicken Surprise

Chicken Surprise, Chicken Bones on Board

In 2014 I created a new piece of artwork for the E17 Art Trail called Chicken Surprise.

For the E17 Art Trail I was invited by The E17 Art House to produce a new piece of artwork which explores the theme of Zoology. With this I focused my attention on chicken and the consumption of this zoological animal. I constructed the artwork from discarded chicken bones to reflect the idea that Walthamstow is visually dominated by chicken takeaways, in turn impacting on our visual culture.

Although this piece of artwork is a slight departure from my general theme, the basic premise is the same: collecting discarded materials and turning the objects into art. The reason I decided to explore the use of chicken bones for this exhibition was based on a campaign by my local authority (Waltham Forest which they ran 4 years ago) on the plight of fast food chicken shops.  At the time the Council was concerned about the amount of chicken shops springing up along our high streets and there easy reach of schools. There was obvious issues of concern at the time around healthy eating among young people which coincided with the approach of the Olympic Games. Although the campaign to control the amount of chicken shops in the borough was short lived the greatest irony's was that a branch of Nando's opened its doors to the public in late 2014, in a development approved by the Council. Obviously some chicken shops are better than others, what a surprise.

Recent peace of artwork: Burning Back the Layers

Burning Back the Layers, Front View

Burning Back the Layers

Burning Back the Layers, Left Side View

One of the objectives behind 'Changing Spaces' was to use the project as an opportunity to experiment with new materials and techniques. In September 2013 I was invited by a gallery in East London, The E17 Art House to show a piece of my work in a group show using the theme of books. For someone who doesn't read that much (for good reason which will be made clear later) this was going to raise the question, of what to produce for the exhibition? In addition I had problems trying to identify current work from my portfolio that would fit the into the theme of the exhibition. With this I had decided to produce a new peace for the show.

Burning Back the Layers, Right Side View

For some, reading is a form of leisure in order to unwind or relax. For me reading is the complete opposite. Reading is like burning back the layers of my brain in order to find the part which helps me understand what is been said or conveyed on the pages of a book. As someone who has dyslexia I have to have real cause to read or write, it’s a process, which does not come naturally to me. With this, I tend to only read when it has real application to what I do. Part of this practical application is reading information relating to my practice as an artist. To reflect this practical application I constructed this peace of art from a series of catalogues in relation to passed exhibitions of my work. For someone who doesn't read much I do love books, but books do not love me.

Although this piece of art has no direct association with my project, Changing Spaces, it does have a link to the general theme of my work which is regeneration; turning something old into something new. In this case turning old exhibition catalogues of my work into a pece of 3D art. If I hadnt found a use for the catalogues they would have found there way into the bin.

Conferance: Speaking at Creative XPO

On the 27 January I will be speaking at the Creative XPO at Rich Mix which is organised by CIDA

I will be discussing the development of my project, 'Changing Spaces', talking about the concepts and
context behind the work. The artwork from the project is currently shown at RichMix, were the exhibition will form part of the programme at Creative XPO.

This will be great opportunity to find out more about my work and to ask questions in relation to my practice.

If you would like to attend please follow the link to register for free Creative XPO