‘Hollow’ seeks to connect the process of extracting material from one place to the process of building something somewhere else. It seeks to explore the equal and opposite actions of excavation and construction and to give voice to ‘what is left in the emptiness?’
We are constantly displacing material. Small children construct dens, play with Lego and get lost in computer games such as ‘Minecraft’ and even smaller ones are content with digging holes in sand or clay. Our desire to displace material and to re-configure it is a defining act of creativity. ‘Hollow’ seeks to explore this fundamental construction of culture. And further to consider ‘mines as cultural mirrors.’
‘Hollow’ is a sculptural installation of cardboard boxes that connect together with magnets to create large arched hollows into which the public are invited. This cardboard ‘mine’ is built on an acrylic mirrored floor that reflects the form above, completing it as a container of space. There is an equal and opposite amount of extracted ‘ore’ in the form of loose cardboard boxes that invite playful investigation and construction. These provide extensive opportunities for the public to play with the interactive elements of the magnetic cardboard boxes – stacking and forming, hollowing and collapsing.
All photos on this site were taken by Giles W. Bennett