Revelation and Repair

This project began on Woodside Bay on the Isle of Wight, where we rescued a structure that was doing a pretty good job of reinventing itself as habitat.

Once used to store surplus lobsters for the restaurant trade, these cages are now obsolete due to dwindling populations and evolving animal welfare standards. While many remain on the ocean floor, storms occasionally sweep them onto the beach. I salvage, rehome and repurpose them - this one I’ve named CRUSHED.

The first cage I rescued was made into the artwork COLLISION - details in my blog "Trauma and Transformation". CRUSHED is the second, and there is a third that is a work in progress.

Sitting with this mangled piece of wreck, I felt compelled to make a silver cage, reflecting the damaged nature of the original in a shiny, precious material that could be suspended both inside and outside the "parent" cage (in one of the crushed openings). The silver is messy, squashed - and beautiful. I wanted to encapsulate the idea that a shift in perspective can reveal a gift, despite the apparent futility of feeling for one when times are tough.

The silver cage is made from precious metal clay, which becomes fine (99.9%) silver on firing. It was made in three pieces that I've joined with fine silver wire. The silver used to the make the clay is recycled and is and sealed against tarnishing. Being a large piece, it was required to be hallmarked, by law.

I "darned" one of the other openings in the cage using a merino wool cord that I made.  The darning is so effective and the colour match so good that the mending can hardly be seen and this is exactly the effect I was hoping for.

I placed a pile of the cord next to the cage (and connected to it) to represent the abiding presence and abundance of resources for repair. The merino wool is from humanely raised sheep ("non-mulesing").

And now, may I present CRUSHED - honouring the potential for opportunities to be hidden in catastrophe; and the beauty in both adversity and repair.

CRUSHED 2025

115cm x 93cm x 50cm (silver cage: 10cm x 2cm)

Recycled fine silver (hallmarked and sealed against tarnishing), metal thread, crocheted merino wool, flotsam mixed media cage.