Work Chosen for 1st International Contemporary Material Art Biennale in China

“Material Thinking” 1st International Contemporary Material Art Biennale received 2066 artworks from 80 countries and districts all over the world. 1196 pieces of artworks were submitted from overseas and 870 pieces of artworks from China. The artworks were selected by the international jury committee anonymously. 150 artworks were finally selected for the Biennale, including 82 artworks from overseas and 68 artworks from China.

Bound up Material: Objects or material other than human remains that are in some way physically bound up or attached to them so to in effect be part of them.

For this project I have explored identity though the belongings left with unidentified human remains. These belongings directly and indirectly represent both people’s bodies and their identities. Belongings form part of the social or cultural identity of individuals, and these conscious decisions can define and determine how they are perceived by others.

I chose to work with gelatine bioplastic because it is bodily, made from pig collagen sourced from skin, bone, and connective tissue. It also has a direct connection to forensics in the UK as pigs are used to train cadaver dogs.

Gelatine Bioplastic is transparent and ephemeral, that can physically embody the idea of something missing. As a biodegradable material, it slowly breaks down (just as bodies do) becoming part of its surroundings. This references the ‘unseen’ a metaphor for the unseen in society, the lonely, the homeless or outsiders that many unidentified people inevitably were.

When items are extracted from the bioplastic ‘skin’ they leave a residual trace of the leather surface, showing the individuality of each item. Creases and lines highlight a sense of lived experience and this trace parallels aspects of forensic investigation such as fingerprint retrieval.

With this work I hope to raise awareness of the existence of individuals who have died unnoticed, people who are currently only acknowledged as a reference on a database. In death belongings have an increased poignancy every mark seems to have a story to tell. To loved ones these are precious items kept safe to remember times spent together, but when items are discovered with unidentified human remains the individuality of items is perhaps all we have, to suggest who that person may have been.