Of Fireships and Iron

 

After raking around the South East for any-old-iron over the last month, I’ve accrued quite a haul of rusted chains to work with. Thanks in particular to Cottage Style Antiques in Strood and Symonds Salvage in Bethersden – two treasure troves in Kent well worth a visit.

Initially I thought I would be seeking handmade, nautical ironmongery for this project, but have ended up opting for more industrial materials. The grasping hooks of a grab-chain, and the spiked links of a security chain seem to better emphasise the brutality of conflict and colonial trade, and will form a greater counterpoint to the fragments of baroque stylings from the Guildhall Museum’s Dutch engravings I’m aiming to imprint them with.

However the sheer weight of these objects may restrict my ability to display the work as I had envisaged, having thought to create a wall hanging when starting the project. Plenty of playtime needed…