Original artwork description:

I like the idea of working with slate because of the age and nature of the material. Millions of years ago, movement of the Earth's crust, retreating seas and glaciation pushed mineral deposits collected on ancient sea beds to the Earth's surface where they were eventually quarried by man to provide shelter from the winds and rain.

The slate I use has served this purpose and is eroded and marked by exposure to the elements as well as by man-made pollutants in the atmosphere. I am interested in the journey from the seabed to the quarry, the quarry to the rooftop and the rooftop to the artwork.

In ‘The unbearable lightness of things 1’, (a title taken from Milan Kundera) the 2 pieces of broken, discarded slate have been washed clean of the grime collected over the years to reveal the natural texture and colouring. Screws fill the original holes from where it was attached to the roof. A circle, a universal shape at the heart of our relationship to the world, has then been scratched into the surface with a sharp point. The jar, representing a common or garden object is also scratched into the surface perhaps giving the work a philosophical and contemplative reflection on ‘being’ and the nature of reality.

The work is varnished to bring out the texture and then finished with a thin black wood edging, ready to hang. 40x61x4cm

Materials used:

Recycled roof slate

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