If only you could see me the way I really am

Description:

The viewer is led into a rectangular space through curtains of black plastic which fall from the ceiling to the floor.

In the centre of the space stands a four-metre-high white plaster shard. The small tip of the shard teeters precariously on the floor.

The shard is made of polystyrene wrapped in plaster bandage. It is texturalised with plaster and plastic sheeting.

An internal T-shaped armature gives the shard strength and structure. Facets of various sizes are used to exaggerate the enormity of the piece.

Two wires suspend the shard from a third cross-wire, which spans two wooden columns in the space.

Context:

In this piece, strength is reflected through scale and composition of the form while the 'whiteness' and texture of the plaster skin give it a delicate vulnerability. Uncertainty, suspense and tension are achieved as the shard appears to stand upright without major support.

This shard was built in second semester 2006 after a long period of experimentation with plaster to measure weight, colour change and strength, as well as my emotional responses to different textural qualities

Viewers who have seen this piece usually read it as being associated with glacial conditions. In zoological terms, however, a shard refers to a "tough sheath or protective covering, such as a shell, scale or plate".

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