Behind the Wall, 2023. V&A Dundee

This piece, a tealight holder, is designed with De-Constructivism in mind, a movement of postmodern architecture, which fragments the constructed building, commonly characterised by an absence of obvious harmony, continuity or symmetry. The work of Frank Gehry and Rachael Whiteread have influenced the piece. Gehry once said he never wanted to design ‘pretty’ buildings, “I don’t look for the soft stuff, the pretty stuff….it’s not dealing with reality. I see reality as harsher; people bite each other. My take comes from that point of view”. As artists they were able to transfer the feelings of humanity through inert materials.

This design symbolically draws on the broken home, particularly a home where there is domestic violence, where there is no obvious harmony. Its foundations are not sound, walls shift, it feels unstable but there is hope, a flame. Hope that harmony can be restored no matter how desperate the circumstances address a key question in domestic violence, ‘Why does she stay?’ The very process of making: hammering, burning, scoring, tarnishing, using acid, bending etc. reflect the reality of a deconstructed and chaotic life, as caused by domestic violence.

Copper [Etched, Soldered, Sublimated, Oxidized and Patinated], Found Brick, Height 49cm