Locked in Time

Another gorgeous pre-loved timber case found at a Collector's Market - was in pretty bad shape when it caught my eye, but with TLC and the right amount of gluing and clamping, it's almost as solid as it was way-back-when ...

 

The lid had a bad split in it - I glued it and then filled the gap in with liquid gold - giving the case extra beauty and extra value ( !!! ) ...

 

... beautiful craftsmanship from all angles ... 

what could its provenance be I wonder 

and what stories could it tell of past adventures ...

... stand it up on its side and open the clips - and the mystical story inside unfolds ...

I started work on this piece well into the Covid-19 pandemic lock-down, and it wasn't until I was almost finished working on it that the notion came to me that the work was really reflecting my own present day to day existence. 

 
Reflecting on the reality that time is golden - so precious - here I was ( am ) curtailed from an existence that I had taken so much for granted - snug in my neck of the woods but where time has now been locked down, placed behind a glass screen and suspended for who-knows-how-long ...

... all the materials I use in my assemblage works have had a previous existence or purpose - now rescued and assembled, they have a new story to tell the viewer ...

... look into my eyes ...

 

... time stood still at half-past midnight ... 

... when a deadly virus was discovered in China ...

 

... maybe you can view my artwork and see your own story ...

... case closed - to be reopened when the all-clear is declared ...