Artist Statement

The weathered bronze remains of a mummified branch are propped by a series of metal rods. The branch itself, and the tree from which it grew, are absent, but the imprint of a transient life is held in the metal cloth windings.

What appears at first glance to be a representation of a natural form is shown, on closer inspection, to be a representation of a desperate human act. Were those responsible seeking to atone for their mistakes (in allowing the tree to die perhaps) or were they simply trying to hold back time?

The piece derives from my interest in the presentation of historical narrative. This is often the preserve of museums and similar heritage bodies and the artworks correspondingly borrow from the palette of these institutions to give the sense of a future looking back toward the present.