As a body of work, Odd objects is a continuation of the exploration of the idea of ‘filtering’ – a process of elimination, and ‘funnelling’ – a guiding process, applied in particular to the handling of information, personal and social, as it came to the fore in the Angle of repose work. 

In the process of finding suitable funnels to use in Angle of repose, many valuable finds of the most interesting and unexpected funnels were made, varying in function, material and size. The collection continues to grow and now ranges from a large, ‘illogical’ copper funnel – which is oddly punctured with holes in the base and was made for the final three-dimensional work, Fig. 7: System for repose in the Angle of repose series – to the tiniest silver Victorian perfume funnels. These objects, meant for industrial and/or domestic use, assume, for me, male and female characteristics.

Personal and social issues addressed in previous work remain an ongoing consideration. Therefore, filtering as a process of eliminating excess or unwanted elements and funnelling, which, for me, implies a narrowing down, a sharper focus, continue to provide a conceptual framework within which to address creative challenges: how should I exploit materials, process and formal considerations to say what I want to communicate? How does one give form to ideas, insights, experience? 

These two-dimensional works became ‘testing grounds’ where possibilities could be explored. This was done, in particular, by fusing the boundaries between drawing and painting in the same work and introducing found ‘odd objects’ – such as mirrors used as support and hardware used in sewing for clothing: closing fasteners, hooks and eyes and so on – in this context. 

This body of work represents mostly an exercise in exploring possibilities in terms of techniques, materials and images – how to manipulate these in order to create meaningful visual images.

1. Daudet, A. 2007. Letters from My Windmill. Translated by Frederick Davies. London: Penguin, Preface.