Georgina Sleap

My time in the studio is spent in a process of genuine speculation into the behaviours of matter such as water, helium and lead. I construct sculptures towards the moment when one force overcomes another so that the sculpture fulfils its purpose, whether this is to float in air or sink below the water’s surface. By making simple objects (like a party balloon) incongruous, I hope to remind people of the joy to be gained from an examination of object and material. This language of combined components becomes also an engaging demonstration of the simple physics of molecules and density which may be half understood or dimly remembered.

But my work alludes to cultural as well as scientific knowledge. Gradually, structures like lighthouses and hot air balloons have come to be seen through layers of historical and fictional narrative. Despite the levity with which I fabricate my sculptures, the examples of 19th century engineering to which they allude were invented to aid the inherently dangerous navigation and exploration of the unknown. As such, they have come to signify our frailty: they are symbols of both adventure and misadventure. I amalgamate and adapt the structures to manipulate these associations and I hope my work will prompt the viewer to recall these stories of human folly, vulnerability or bravery.