Predator
2018
BROOCH (Found plastic objects and toy cowboy, copper, recycled silver, stainless steel, tie pins)
“Predator” confronts how history is written and perpetuated, and how knowledge is created by power structures. How do we re-write innocent games so familiar to our childhood which still manage to hide narratives of genocide and dispossession after so many generations?
I originally found the three pieces of plastic on the same beach walk and immediately I thought of creating a piece about a cowboy set against the sunset, a fun little story bringing back memories of childhood games and Lucky Luke comic books. It was only when I hit a technical snag that I had time to reconsider what exactly it was that I was so innocently trying to portray.
As I mounted the pieces together, the yellow fragments revealed itself to be even more fragile than I thought. Any undue pressure, and I could lose it, therefore risking losing the whole piece. This is a situation that I am often forced to remind people of when discussing the "value" of materials. If value is indeed calculated on rarity, then found objects are always unique and breaking or losing a component means literally starting from square one or having to abandon a project altogether. Anyway, after several trials with different materials attempting to create a solid enough and yet irregular backing which could act as a filler between the yellow component and the brooch back, I left the piece to one side for several months, knowing well that if I rushed it I could well ruin the whole thing and lose it altogether.
As my little cowboy sat lonesome on one corner of the bench, I slowly started considering the cultural trap in which I had fallen. Even with a great understanding of colonial issues, the cultural imprinting acquired as a child was strongly dominant in my instinctive choice of subject matter. So this is really a great example of how my practice unearths questions for me to ask myself and raises situations in which to confront myself. The result could really not have been anywhere else but the title. But even then, I had to find a solution so that the viewers could go through the same process of being surprised at their own initial reaction to the piece, with the word 'predator' scribed on the back and only visible if looking for it and if taking the time and the energy to find it.