Monumental Jam Session
Created specifically for the 2008 Helen Lempriere National Sculpture Prize Exhibition, Werribee Mansions, Victoria

Catalogue statement:
My contribution to the 2008 Helen Lempriere National Sculpture Prize exhibition extends themes presented in Industrial Jam Session, my entry of last year. As the current title suggests, this year’s sculpture is larger in scale and takes the form of one complete assemblage rather than a suite of six.

The Jam Session series explores fundamental principles of modernism such as form, colour and spatiality. What makes these works distinctly of our time are the materials employed – industrial plastics, which are widely used in the manufacturing world. These plastics are especially tactile and often lurid in colour – characteristics which, not surprisingly, evoke an irresistible sense of play, albeit on a grand scale. Also evident are references to some of the most serious issues facing us today.

The main component of Monumental Jam Session is a grouping of four large, bright-orange ‘water barriers’. These barriers are a common sight throughout Melbourne, being literally lined up like snakes throughout the city and into the suburbs. Their presence indicates a city in a state of flux, disrupted by building and road works, demolition and restructuring.

Industrial flotsam occupies much of our visual landscape. For me this material is loaded with aesthetic and associative potential. In making this sculptural work I have embraced the physicality of this ‘stuff’ to create dynamic, anthropomorphic works that also offer viewers an opportunity for reflection on our wider built environment.

Materials: Plastic, steel, bolts
Dimensions: 500x120x420cm