My grandparents live by the River Itchen, which is known for its clear water. Since my childhood, I have walked along the bank on every visit. I find peace in the seemingly unchanged landscape, look out for fish, and watch birds that emerge from the water. Many of the sculptures in this exhibition go back to these memories. Birds take off or dive into the water. Complex structures capture these movements in the sculptures and at the same time make visible the strain that the supporting elements must bear. Today I am more aware of how much work is needed to maintain this landscape: paths must be repaired, banks reinforced, and the ageing 19th-century infrastructure kept in good order under increasingly unpredictable weather conditions. This effort is reflected in other sculptures, in which small figures struggle with a grand gesture against changing landscapes. In all of these works, the desire for control meets the possibility of surprise.
The casting of modelled forms has been an essential part of my work for many years.