OFFCUTS

SUZANNE DUNGEY

26 MAR-18 APR

I’m fascinated by the constant demolition and construction activity in my local area.  Walking through the streets, I often see large skip bins parked outside building sites filled with waste material. One day I noticed some beautiful fragments of terrazzo and offcuts of sawn timber, with delicate growth rings affirming they had once been parts of living trees. The skips are also frequently packed with broken bricks, pipe, plaster, scraps of steel and electrical cable.

This discarded debris seems curiously poignant to me, cut away from more important components supporting the new structure, or ripped out of the old as it’s pulled down.  I began salvaging bits and pieces for my studio, where I spend time arranging and painting them from observation.

I am interested in still life painting as a means of drawing attention to the overlooked and seemingly unimportant objects that signify the transience and culture of everyday, contemporary life.