Latest commission is for the University of Derby, collaborating with fellow willow artist Laura Ellen Bacon, to create a sculpture for the entrance of the University grounds.
After meeting with Laura and swapping stories and portfolios we decided to approach this project in a new way, to leave behind our own individual practices using woven willow, and to come up with a completely new method of working with willow.
Colour was also a factor that was discussed, as the majority of our work is very natural and uses little or no additional colour. This collaboration is a true oppurtunity to experiment with something new.
We also considered the University, it has three campuses spanning across Derbyshire, the logo of the university shows three hills, and of course the most important part, the students both past present and future that pass through the Universities doors.
The proposed sculpture is a large installation featuring three large curved structures, these structures will be made from sheet steel and perforated with a variety of holes. Coloured with powder coating, the perforated steel structures will be connected by thick strands of willow that will intertwine the structures, flowing through the holes in a continuous stream of willow.
The structures represent the strength of the University, a large entity that the students, represented by the stream of willow, pass through.
‘Linking Forms’ (the working title) will be unveiled at the University of Derby’s, Kedleston Road Campus in September 2010.
To find out more about Laura Ellen Bacon work see www.lauraellenbacon.com
To find out more about the University of Derby see www.derby.ac.uk