An element of discomfort

After thorough research on the torture and killings of Fred and Rose West I was drawn to their use of an everyday object to pursue their torture of those innocent women in their basement unknown to everyone at the time of their complete evilness. This object was a mattress that I rescued from a skip as I was drawn to the pattern on the fabric. The mattress has been cast in cement using a plaster waste mould and then sealed with linseed oil, creating a dark finish. I chose to cast the mattress in cement as Fred used this particular material to bury their victims and due to it's industrial use the choice was evident. The name for the piece came from the idea of taking an object that is associated with comfort and abusing this with a hard, industrial and everyday use material.

 



 

Bound and Gagged

These black and white photographs are based upon the torture, rape and murder of Fred and Rose Wests' victims that they bound and gagged for their own satisfaction to carry out sexual abuse. Within them I have taped my entire head using duct tape and straws to help me breathe. The experience was strange and unfamiliar as I had no control of what was happening or of what could go wrong due to the risks. My aim is to further experiment with this concept due to the discomfort and abuse that the victims suffered at the hands of Fred and Rose West.

 

Experimentation with the fluidity of liquid metal in relation to its solid counterpart

Medium: Cast Iron, Wood

Date: May 2012

An experimental series using old cast iron pieces entrapped within newly cast liquid iron to create a contrast in colour, harshness, freedom and movement between liquid and solid metal.



Brake disk trapped in cast iron

Fragmented brake disk trapped in cast iron 

Liquid iron poured over an old cast iron piece