Made in the Ukraine.

 

The concept behind this work came about from two different avenues. The first being the raw material of steel plate. In its manufacture, certain steel mills apply a thin burgundy coloured coating, I assume, applied as an anti-corrosion aid. It struck me when looking at these plates, that they resembled the Red on Maroon Seagram murals by Mark Rothko.,the American abstract expressionist artist of the 1950s. This observation led me to the idea of producing artworks based on the qualities of steel.

 

Another feature of the steel plates was not so much the manufactures logo, but that of the plates origin of manufacture. In white stencilled letters were the words 'Made in the Ukraine'. The irony of this legitimate statement was that 150 years earlier similar steel plates leaving Blaenavon would have 'Blaenavon Iron & Steel co., Ltd as its place of manufacture.               

 

6,25 26,28.

 

Mouldings were recreated for this work, to represent the 'Tuyeres' (ceramic fluted tubes) which were used as conduits to supply pressurised air into the Bessemer converter. Air was blown through the molten iron (oxidation) removing any impurities. This process would skim off impurities such as silicon, manganese and carbon in the form of oxides. The title of the work comes from the periodic table. 6, c. Carbon. 25, mn. Manganese. 26, fe, iron. 28. n, Nickle, all of which are components of carbon steel.

 

 

 

Totem. (Axis Mundi).

 

The nomadic Australian Aboriginals of the Achilpa tribe carry with them a Kauwa-auwa, which is a sacred pole that is implanted into each new campment. The defining of place by the pole acts as a cosmic axis or axis mudi ( world centre,it expresses a point of connection between sky and earth) for it is around the sacred pole that territory becomes habitable, hence it is transformed into the world. This fascinating extract from Mircea Eliades 'consecration of place' gave me the idea for the Totem series in keeping with the theme of 'sense of place.