Sink Or Shiver is a series of five sculptures presented as part of a three person exhibition at Zalucky Contemporary in 2022. The series is composed of fire charred pine, a wide range of electric pigments mixed by the artist, and resin. The forms cast from the artists body, are comprised of hands cupping bent knees and carved holes in the charred wood surfaces. The hollow shells in multi-coloured resins, become egg-like emergences bubbling out of the charred wood. At each end of the charred pine strands, carved tips mimic skate or shark eggs, also called ‘mermaids purse’. 

Exhibition excerpt:

“ The artists assembled here perform various forms of alchemy to explore the inner life of things. Their work exalts the inherent mutability of matter, the constant state of becoming that might not always be perceptible to the naked eye. Employing the corrosive power of salt, the destructive energy of fire and the transformative effects of vapour, they attempt to bear witness to the ‘changefulness’ of inanimate objects and how, in that state of flux, new forms of knowing can emerge.” 

Laura Hudspith, Liljana Mead Martin & Lee Henderson
Vessels, Orbs and Pyrophytic Pods
June 4, 2022 - July 2, 2022. Documentation by Laura Findlay.

Mod Thermal (Detail) , 2022, charred wood, resin, pigments, 60 x 5.5 x 4 inches

Installation view. 

Sink Or Shiver. 2022. charred wood, resin, pigments.

(Left) Mod Thermal, 2022, charred wood, resin, pigments, 60 x 5.5 x 4 inches
(Right) Ancient Risk, 2022, charred wood, resin, pigments, 60 x 5.5 x 4 inches

Pyrophytic Pod, 2022, charred wood, resin, pigments, 19.75 x 5.5 x 3.5 inches

Sea Weed. 2022. 26”H x 5.5” x 3.25”D. Charred wood, resin, pigments.

Installation view.

Sea Weed (detail), 2022. 26”H x 5.5” x 3.25”D. Charred wood, resin, pigments.