WRÆTTWORK

The title of this series is drawn from the old English term ‘Wrætlic’ meaning wondrous, jewel or ornament. This is the opening word of the enigmatic Saxon poem ‘The Ruin’ in which the decayed remains of Roman Bath are described and visions of its former splendors conjured up.

The works perform a reimagining of this past and a far-off future from the perspective of the fictive narrator; a figure caught between the tangible remains of the archaic city and the infinite landscape of the imagination. This vision is a strange one - an antiquary’s unbound reverie - populated by fanciful structures of impossible design where unremembered deities dwell.

The eclectic use of materials in these works - crystals, glass glitter, mica, mother of Pearl, plant roots, volcanic rock, lamp-work glass, iron oxides, and natural powder pigment - serve as tactile expressions of the historical and geological nature of Bath. Their decorative miniature forms recall Victorian folk art dioramas and souvenir Grand Tour models of the 18th century.

Translation and interpretation of the original fragmentary Saxon text held within the Exeter Book