Reflect

2023

concrete, reinforcing steel mesh, reinforcing steel pipe, wood, screws, nails, paint (using bespoke hand-cut stencils), glass (mirror), foam, bitumen, soot, sealing varnish.

112 x 90 x 20 cm

The line between war and peace has dissolved. The civilian population is now a constant target of cyber-attacks and misinformation campaigns that work to undermine our security, democracy and sovereignty by influencing our own choices. Reflect uses a mirrored surface to place the observer at the centre of modern conflict and the most fundamental decisions of a democracy – how to balance public spending on military capability (guns) with the comforts of life (butter). This trade off will largely determine the fate of our sailors, soldiers and aviators years, and perhaps decades, before the first exchange of fire. Each member of society should therefore seek to understand the threat, and reflect on the role they can play in shaping national security.

Concrete is the primary media due to the ubiquity of concrete T walls in the conflict zones of recent decades. However, the security of physical barriers is diminishing in a world of smouldering grey-zone conflict and hypersonic missiles. This changing of ways is represented in Reflect by the thinness of the concrete façade, the fraying of its edges, the weeping rust and the rising soot. Observers are invited to contribute comments on where public investment should be applied (guns vs butter). A selection of these comments will be added to the piece by the artist throughout the exhibition.

To submit your comment, please email: gunsvsbutter2024@gmail.com