The Prototypes 2024
Size: 1.3m length x 1.3m width x 1.6m height
Materials: Concrete, plaster, gravel, steel, wire, cardboard boxes, polystyrene balls, spray paint
Three man-made concrete cacti emerge from a foundation of cardboard boxes, their synthetic polystyrene fruits symbolizing artificial growth. One fallen fruit rests on a box, hinting at fragility and disconnection. The orange fruits are created by spray-painting polystyrene balls and scorching them with a heat gun, resulting in a crazed, partially shrivelled surface.
As its title suggests, The Prototypes presents an early stage of manmade design, with each cactus slightly differing from the next, as if in a process of refinement. These subtle variations echo the iterative nature of industrial production, where prototypes evolve before reaching their final form. This invites reflection on how artificial growth is shaped by human intervention, mirroring the cycles of innovation and mass production that define consumer culture.
The cacti appear to draw sustenance from the cardboard boxes, raising questions about how growth is sustained in a world driven by commerce and industry. By juxtaposing the natural with the manufactured, The Prototypes prompts contemplation of consumption and transformation while elevating the humble cardboard box—an object intrinsic to this setting.
Size: 1.3m length x 1.3m width x 1.6m height
Materials: Concrete, plaster, gravel, steel, wire, cardboard boxes, polystyrene balls, spray paint
Three man-made concrete cacti emerge from a foundation of cardboard boxes, their synthetic polystyrene fruits symbolizing artificial growth. One fallen fruit rests on a box, hinting at fragility and disconnection. The orange fruits are created by spray-painting polystyrene balls and scorching them with a heat gun, resulting in a crazed, partially shrivelled surface.
As its title suggests, The Prototypes presents an early stage of manmade design, with each cactus slightly differing from the next, as if in a process of refinement. These subtle variations echo the iterative nature of industrial production, where prototypes evolve before reaching their final form. This invites reflection on how artificial growth is shaped by human intervention, mirroring the cycles of innovation and mass production that define consumer culture.
The cacti appear to draw sustenance from the cardboard boxes, raising questions about how growth is sustained in a world driven by commerce and industry. By juxtaposing the natural with the manufactured, The Prototypes prompts contemplation of consumption and transformation while elevating the humble cardboard box—an object intrinsic to this setting.