The Saatchi Gallery - Contemporary Art in London

Photo Description:

This piece stands over 12 foot high and towers over you like an organically growing and evolving alien. With in nature I see a link in the sense that forms are altered and grow in accordance of what is affecting them within their surroundings. Like a tree growing close to rocks which shape itself to wrap around the rocks. The work looks to be chaotic and in a sense it is, Serra splashed at speed and without control when the lead left the container. I still think though because it is controlled by the wall and floor and the fact that although you don’t have control of liquid as it flies through the air you can still control the work to be balanced and have a feel or sense about it. When I produced work like this I feel as the work progresses you gain more control over it. If you feel a particular area is thin you build it up. The work is a visual and physical recording of a happening and event. In a way this does imitate nature because in nature you see a visual recording of an event dictated by other elements. I think as he made more and more of these pieces he would have had a better idea of how to aim and create certain effects with the molten lead. This then takes the work away from being a random piece that lacks control. The chance element can’t exist as he has too much control. For my red piece based on my research of allowing a material to control itself with limited artist influence I created a piece using expanding foam. I premade a hollow form from found wood and filled the core with expanding foam. The beauty about expanding foam is that is grows and expands over time as it reacts with air. In a sense the work evolved on its own although I imposed constraints and boundaries. As a material I enjoyed the freedom it created. In a sense it still contains constraints similar to the ones imposed on Serra’s splash pieces and although I couldn’t control the expansion of the foam I did foresee a basic final form. As a material I do think chance works could be created if left to organically grow of its own accord.

Author

Toby Bowles , 17 yrs

School

Sir William Ramsay School