Material Follies

Nov 2022

Two Week Exercise

Balsa Wood, 0.8mm Mild Steel Sheet

Individual Project

Tutors: Kevin Haley, Ian Hunter

For my final year at the Royal College of Art, we had the opportunity to pick an area of specialisation. I decided to choose the platform, ‘Matter’ - a way of learning that revolves around the study of materials. I was assigned to investigate mild steel, considering its appearance, provenance, physical properties, available forms and manufacturing processes. 

London's blacksmithing history stretches back to the 1400s in its widespread use in weaponry, industry and construction. The metamorphosis of steel from wrought iron coincided with, and led to the developments of tools and machinery in the Industrial Revolution. It was a time of excessive pollution, excessively problematic labour practices, but this led to innovation and invention still felt today. Drawing from this duality, these maquettes play homage to steel's connotations of strength and weaponry and its high degree of strength relative to its weight, resulting in tall sculptural forms that take influence from Richard Serra’s bent sheet metal and Brancusi’s exploration of making heavy things look like they are soaring into the sky.

Work selected and published on @models_architecture (103k followers) on Instagram/Facebook.