Bourgeoisie Nuggets

​H16 W23 D12 cm
Exhumed clinker, gold powder, 24ct gold leaf and powder, epoxy
​unique
​£600
 
This figurative work has been assembled using all the exhumed clinker fragments from my dig in the garden. Clinker is a porous stony residue, usually from furnaces. It is by-product of an industrial process; these little nuggets represent financial gain to the industrial revolutionists. Coating the pitted surface in gold powder and gold leaf informs us of wealth but beneath the enriched surface is also a story of hard labour and suffering.

This work was first exhibited at Gallery in the Garden in 2017 as part of Migrant Material. It then became the inspiration for another solo exhibition at Chelmsford Museum 2019 The Clinker Connection - When Humans Changed Nature