Claire Morgan – Statement April 2008

I find that there can be great power in objects or scenarios that simultaneously illustrate acute beauty and horror.

All things are connected. Natural, cyclical forces have an impact on everything, including us. There is a fear associated with this and I am fascinated with how this impacts on our relationship with the rest of the natural world. I use movement and change, real or implied, to explore points where seemingly opposing elements merge: control and chaos; death, life and death in turn; the beauty of nature, found in all its perfection and ugliness.

Within my work I use small, seemingly insignificant objects in huge quantities that then become parts of much larger sculptural forms. I spend time gathering and ordering materials to include within my installations and this controlling procedure is mirrored in the structures that I create. Recent work has involved precise, repetitive processes, which are demanding but valuable and particularly meaningful for me. I am preoccupied with watching the ways in which the materials might begin to be reordered by natural forces or processes.

Recently I have introduced animals preserved using traditional taxidermy techniques to my suspended installations. These appear to be interacting with the suspended pieces, flying or falling through layers of plastic or organic matter, ‘stretching’ otherwise geometric forms out of shape and creating areas of chaos within the overall precision of the work. I am interested in our changing relationship with the rest of the natural world, and how our attitude towards nature might impact on that which sustains us. I often find myself exploring issues relating to the ‘residues’ that we as a society leave on the earth, usually from a contemplative viewpoint.