Mallow
Sculptural commission for Satou House, private residence
Brisbane, Queensland 2020.
In collaboration with CREATIVEMOVE
Fabrication & Installation, Stainless Aesthetics
Aluminum, laser cut with 2-Pak paint over powder coat surface treatment, 2500 x 1300 x 80mm
Mallow is conceived in response to the invitation to welcome a new object into a thoughtfully curated and much loved collection, embodying ideas, forms and principles of its site.
The work has a circular lineage, an idea translated through materials and vast distances of culture, geography and time. Starting as a simple brushwork floral motif on a delicate ceramic cup, the form is captured as a line drawing then in a collaborative undertaking translated through scale and materials to articulate the ethos of its new home.
The work takes cues from the visual language employed by the architect to create Satou House with a client brief guided by Japanese design principles. The sculpture was created to fit within the framework of well-crafted simplicity, with spare lightweight structure that belies an organic strength.
The motif itself has conceptual potency, Mallow Kuei Hua, represents the 9th Month of the lunar calendar. It is depicted amongst the range of classically beautiful flowers though could be considered a weed. The plant has been long used for medicines and food, growing wild alongside of roads and in grassy verges across Europe, North Africa and into South East Asia.
The plant is known within traditional herbal medicine as a useful “…for the treatment of various infections or diseases, including cold, cough, tonsillitis, bronchitis, digestive problems, eczema, burn, and cut wound healing in rural areas.” is also the subject of contemporary research for its efficacy against a range of diseases.
Completed project: Site perspectives and detail
Images by Pete Waddington Photographer.
Process and concept development
The artist translated original pen drawings to a 1:5 model. A hand-cut paper stencil based upon patterns observed in a woodblock print was the basis for the laser cut filigree work with in the leaf forms.
Surface treatment was selected to ensure reflectivity, thus the complexity and fluidity of the form is revealed with the changing light. Small finishing details of stamens were incorporated for texture.
As a nod to the colour found within the original reference image, limited application of a deep red provide intense ‘pings’ of colour that emerge as the viewer moves in relation to the placement of the work.
