Carbon Natural?
Matthew and Deborah Wickham (March – April 2007)
‘Carbon Natural?’ by Matthew and Deborah Wickham, was a thought provoking exhibition of sculpture and video exploring both the creative and destructive relationships Man has with the natural world of which we are all a part. At a time when the Human Race is beating itself up over the negative impact on the environment, there is a belief that we stand outside and separate from nature, but we are part of nature. The Earth is a beautiful natural system in which Man wants to create a space in which to stand, but how much space do we need and at what cost to the other life forms? The sculptural pieces produced from concrete, steel and charred wood consider fire as both a positive and negative elemental force, using fire as a metaphor for the effects of Man both good and bad. The use of concrete and steel; which together form the structural framework of modern society, provide a comment on the excesses of Industrial Man. This work was complemented by the video projection which focuses on the effect of the sea on sand providing a metaphor for the ephemeral nature of Man’s effect on the Earth…..