£7500

Reclaimed and found steel, copper, copper nitrate, wire, twine, oil paint

120 x 185 x 165cms

This sculpture was inspired by skeletal and exotic sea life forms encountered on Kenyan coasts. It was created for Voyages, a project at Contains Art, now East Quay, Watchet, in 2014. It was mounted on the gallery roof (a shipping container), visible from the steam railway line and viewing platform on the cliff.

Inspired by my collection of flotsam and jetsam from coasts: Kenya, UK and elsewhere, I am also aware of the detrimental effects of collections such as exotic shells and tourism generally to coral reefs and beaches.   Over the past 5 decades, I have witnessed a dramatic decline in coral life, shells/resident sea creatures on Kenyan beaches and reefs.  Our human desire to collect, own, trade, discover, colonise and capture continues to impact on the disappearing life and beauty in coral reefs. 

Created from scrap metal and found materials sourced from Watchet boatyard, beaches and surrounding countryside, this piece celebrates the wonder of sea life, hopeful of a better future for our environment. 

The sculpture aims to convey my concern for environmental degradation.  What once seemed beneficial voyages of discovery by naturalists have, ironically, led to the current situation in which mass tourism degrades the environments, habitats and ecosystems, which inspire us to travel.

See Voyages for more information about the background to this piece.