The Significance of Place

This 'new opening' (see previous post), this new exploration of the rectilinear and angular dovetails with an aspect of my work that is crucial; a guiding principle in my work: the significance of place - and material (as per my post of 27 July 2014 Fundamental Principles).

I am who I am as an artist because of who I am as a person, where I work, where I live, where I've lived and worked in the past, where I grew up, my upbringing, my education, my family and friends. 

All of these influence and affect what I make because they shape and have shaped who I am.

Hence the - temporary - change from 'organic, flowing curves' to the linear and angular; given my Art Residency at Tonbridge School, as I said in my previous post.

To illustrate, some images of some of the buildings that constituted my everyday surroundings - imposing linear, angular architecture:

And my outlook from the Tunnel Gallery - straight lines and angles:

Interestingly, I made the metal wire suspended sculpture early on in my Residency - before the rectilinear had got into my bones, clearly. 

And the Tunnel Gallery itself - white, minimal, rectilinear, angular:

I wrote about the significance of place in my post of 20 July 2014 The Importance of Material and Place

(Addendum: The first video is no longer available on YouTube, but here is a BBC link: Whalebone Sculptures on the Brazilian Coast ). MAGIC!

So I find myself in a new place sculpturally, with a need to explore straight lines and angles. 
And given what I have said above, this linear urge will probably prove to be transient (so must be enjoyed and made the most of): the angular will probably wane as I re-engage fully and properly with my surroundings here - on the forest - which I have failed to do as yet because of the AWFUL weather we've been having. COLD AND VERY WET.