Working in printmaking,  painting and sculpture I create immersive site-specific installations which are often interwoven with sound, light and video.  My practice is characterised by an attraction to experimentation, and a curiosity and adaptability across extremes of scale, often through modular construction, responding to the site in which it is installed.

Mapping the city and archaeological storytelling are central ideas in the creation of my work.  Old maps, abandoned spaces, their histories, and the archaeology of found objects are consistent threads that weave through my past and present projects.  I explore the nooks and crannies and industrial relics of the city: derelict gasworks, old tram sheds, disused railway lines and tunnels. I dig through the detritus of these places like an unhinged archaeologist, collecting discarded objects and ephemera.   Old computer fragments, electrical components, mechanisms, architectural salvage, broken plastics, rusted and flaked paint, reveal traces of lost histories. What remains and what has faded testifies to permanence and impermanence.

Many of these objects are then incorporated into my work either as starting points or in the physical process of making the work. They are often used to draw from, print with or cast into replica forms. Using my collection of archaeological artefacts I have been investigating the possibilities of mark making on sheet copper.  ‘Ghost lines’ is an ongoing series exploring the oxidisation of metal as an approach to painting. I dip objects into different solutions of vinegar, ammonia, salt, brasso and bleach before placing them on the copper to transfer an impression.  A further development of this research is the creation of  handmade metal paints and printing inks in which colour can be attained through this unpredictable and playful process.

The title ‘Ghost Lines’ is a nod to the things that have vanished off the map – the lines erased by time. By visually mapping the city, I offer a celebration of the lost places and occupations in our ever-changing times.  Inviting the viewer to engage with and uncover secrets of the city.

Art Statement / Jill Martin boualaxai by blogadmin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 3.0