This series of installations evolved from an exhibition at the Create Centre, Bristol in 2016.

 

All the work for this show was made using material found on local streets.

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I aimed to create a luxurious, decadent environment which upon closer inspection would reveal itself as being made from items which had been thrown away.

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In the centre of the space, I hung a chandelier constructed from a number of yellow foam scaffolding tubes.

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After the show came down, I needed to reuse, store or discard the chandelier .

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I decided to place it upon the head of William III's statue in Queens sq. Bristol. It remained in position for 6 months.

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 Perceiving this as tacit approval I set about giving new hairdos to statues throughout Bristol city centre.

 

This felt subversive and fun. Dethroning authority figures whilst bringing smiles to people's morning commute.

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These sculptures I began calling stars. They seemed to gain acceptance and began appearing on lamp posts, statues and trees throughout Bristol.

 

On one occasion I was even stopped by a policeman when adjusting a star which needed repair. He warned me not to mess around with it as the sculpture was meant to be up there!

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Since then I've used this unofficial permission to create more complex artworks which test what's possible with the material.

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I descided to create a representational series of poplular cultural icons. (The types of images which were being reproduced on tote bags and pencil cases at the time.)

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This resulted in a giant Pineapple, Cactus, Unicorn and two Mermaids.

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These huge scultptures were made on site in the centre of Bristol. This was an interesting experience as the whole, long, creative process was exposed. Rather than revealing a finished artwork, the public witnessed me wreslting with the form over a series of weeks.

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I gained some fantastic interactions through this process and I think passers by grew to understand and appreciate the endevour.

People's reactions began to change from wondering what I was doing to asking what the next sculpture was going to be.

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The Police became happy to interact with me and even to pose for photographs. A rediculous situation!

Whilst changing the Pinapple into a Cactus two police officers came over to tell me that they would now have to change their call sign from 'Trouble at the Pineapple' to 'Trouble at the Cactus!'

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During lockdown I left a Banana in place to keep spirits high. I then dressed as a star and walked through the city when restrictions were lifted. To me this both represented the virus passing through an urban environment and formed a visual representation of the 2m personal space which was required when in public.

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This site (which had now become my unofficial oudoor studio) was in front of the old Norwich Union Bank vault (an additional reson for creating a Pineapple - Symbol of wealth, slavery and marajuana. Three thigs very much associated with Bristol.) Is now schedueled for redevelopement. I have left a final piece in place which takes the form of two clasped hands as a tribute to Ukraine.

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