HIDDEN
This work looks at aspects of concealment and focuses on the emotional response that is provoked by the act of discovery.
Research for this piece looked at the concept of treasure as something valued and often hidden.
I took the idea of hidden treasure as a starting point and thought about the different places in which treasure could be found and also about the value each of us gives to certain objects. I had an old coin given to me as a child which I thought to be Roman but a few years ago I took it to the British Museum and discovered that it was in fact a Portuguese forgery from 1822. This gave the coin a new and more interesting value for me.
In the interim years I had forgotten where I had put it and in my search for the coin I discovered lots of other ‘treasure’ hidden away in tins and boxes which I have drawn upon as a source of imagery for this piece.
It is the feeling of frustration experienced through searching for something and the pleasure when all is revealed that I have tried to convey with ‘Hidden’. The work is lit from within for short intervals of 10 seconds. The images at base of the pyramids are revealed by the light but before a full appreciation can be achieved the light goes off and there is a period of waiting until the light comes on again. The patience required to view the images within the pyramids is rewarded when the light comes back on and the beauty of the treasure is revealed.