Hundingshütte
Deconstructed book, papercut, collage, card and wire
Sculpture inspired by and constructed using a copy of Richard Wagner’s Die Walküre
Hurricane
Deconstructed book, collage, papercut and card
Sculpture depicting the RHDR miniature engine Hurricane, fabricated using copies of The Railway Children by E. Nesbit, and created as part of artist’s residency at the 2017 JAM on the Marsh Festival, Romney Marsh, Kent.
Senbazuru for Cio-Cio-San
Screen print and manipulated musical score
Temporary installation in disused shoe factory, inspired by and incorporating old copies of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly
In Japan, the crane is a mystical creature and is believed to live for a thousand years. In addition to this, the birds mate for life. Subsequently, in Japanese culture, the crane represents good fortune, longevity and fidelity. The Japanese refer to the crane as the ‘bird of happiness’. The legend of Senbazuru– the folding of one thousand origami cranes, is an old Japanese tradition, where it was believed that by doing this, one’s wish would be granted by the Gods. Senbazuru are often given as wedding gifts or left on shrines in the hope that that they will bring good luck.
Cio-Cio-San/Madama Butterfly, the title role in Puccini’s opera, is a young Japanese woman. She marries an American Naval Officer, who leaves her shortly after their wedding night. Butterfly consequently spends three years waiting and praying for her husband’s return.
The finished work is constructed using the opera’s musical score, and as well as referencing Butterfly’s unwavering fidelity, one can imagine her folding the cranes in the hope that her husband will come back to her.
The idea of making a piece involving multiples alludes to the building’s past as a factory with the ritualistic process of repetition.
The Indomitable Cutty Sark
Created as part of Trinity Laban CoLab 2013, King Charles Court, Greenwich
Papercut, collage, card and manipulated musical scores
Greenwich’s rich maritime history is evident throughout much of my typical working week at Trinity. I often enjoy walking to college in the morning via the river, and I pass the Cutty Sark every time I come to college. The clipper’s structure provides a never-ending source of wonderment for me. The college of course is housed in the Old Royal Naval College, and as a ORNC Chapel scholar, I am reminded of this strong connection to the sea every time I sing there. I felt that it would be an interesting concept to make reference to the history of the building that Trinity is housed in, while combining a musical narrative. Thus, I decided that a paper model based on the Cutty Sark, fabricated from old music would form the centrepiece of the final installation. The manipulated book and much of the ship uses an old score of Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore.
The space where the work was installed in is also known as the ‘Dora Labbette’ Room, and is named after the English operatic soprano Dora Labbette (1898—1984). There are several pictures of her in full costume on the walls of this room and I thought it would be interesting to reference this operatic connection in the final work. I already had the Pinafore score, and I thought that in addition to this, I could incorporate some opera with a nautical theme into the piece. As 2013 is the centenary of the composer Benjamin Britten’s birth, I thought it would be highly appropriate to reference his operas. I settled on two: Billy Budd (1951) which is set aboard the battleship H.M.S. ‘Indomitable’, and Peter Grimes (1945), which takes place in a fishing village on the east coast of England.
Hytte
Installation inside child’s Wendy House, Ardo, Aberdeenshire
Papercut, collage, sheet music, paper lightbox and manipulated books
Where most people value objects of real monetary worth, ordinary everyday throw-away items such as ticket stubs or receipts hold greater value to me because they evoke memories. I collect these things often when I am on holiday as mementoes of fantastic experiences. In addition to this, I rarely throw out letters/postcards from friends and family. The hand written word leaves an imprint of the writer that an email cannot, and therefore these very tangible reminders of a person are of extreme importance to me. In this work I’ve recreated a montage of memories, incorporating stories I loved as a child, and trips to some fascinating cities (including a period of time spent in Vienna as an exchange student). Along with the collected letters and concert stubs etc, sheet music features prominently as many of my best memories are inextricably tied to music.