FAQs

How do you decide what kind of material to use; or do you start with the material?

I’ve always worked with a wide spectrum of materials, many of which are borrowed from everyday life. In Drogheda I used wood, dried meat, insulating foam, concrete, cola, corrugated tubing, bitumen, tape, spray paint, plaster, wood wool, paint, holes in the wall—a wild mixture. Mostly, I’ll find I like a certain kind of material, because I can use it to convey certain physical experiences, while giving it some sort of animate, amazing appearance. For instance, gelatin, or ground-up cow, combined with glycerin and water, produces a mixture that, after it’s set, has about the same consistency as the body. It is tough, soft, and slightly flabby, but nevertheless, definitely artificial.