| Dead Elephant |
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The Dead Elephant series illustrates the mechanisation theme from the works of JRR Tolkien. He lamented the transformation of the world into a place of metal and machines, and this formed the basis of the conflict in his stories. Dead Elephant explores and extrapolates that idea. In Tolkien's writings, mechanisation and progress are an analogy of corruptability and damage. As a metaphor of life, living things and the world we find ourselves in, Dead Elephant works on very many levels. |
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On one level these are intricate sci-fi images. On other levels, these images may have a broader range of interpretations. For example, as I do not think industrialisation wrong in the quite the same way as Tolkien did (I believe the benefits of industrialisation to society probably outweigh the harm it does) by showing all things as mechanical, these pictures reverse/contradict the theme by suggesting nature itself is full of processes and mechanics too. Yet that itself implies everything was always corruptable and, returning to Tolkien's view, suggests at best we can only ever reach a compromise from the temptations and dangers which surround us (this idea was reflected in his work by the departure of the elder races at the end of the War of the Ring). |
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Created in the Summer of 2001, the series formed the centrepiece of the Dead Elephant exhibition held 3rd-30th September2001 at the Willesden Gallery. The exhibition showcased a total of 53 works exploring combinations and contradictions of words and image. |
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