The enzyme series was developed during my residency in Pietrasanta in 2010 inspired by the biological process of enzymes. The figures represent molecules interacting with the surface of an enzyme. In this way a parallel is drawn between the micro world of proteins and the macro world of human society.
O Desmatamento
O Desmatamento was the first work completed on a residency in the Bronze Foundry Fonderia Mariani in Italy in 2010. It investigates the relationship between man and the environment particularly through the lens of deforestation.
Bronze, 2010
20 x 28 x 68 cm
Edition of 8, Edition still available
Pyruvate Kinase
Pyruvate Kinase was the third and final work completed on my residency in Italy, it is also the most ambitious in terms of scale. The figures make up the molecule Pyruvate – a simple three carbon sugar found in all life, and thought to be in the early primordial soup.
It was inspired by my concerns over climate change and society’s ability to change in response to this ‘hard to quantify’ risk. I was also influenced by the geography of that part of italy, with amazingly large settlements perched high up on steep slopes sustained by the natural resources that could be extracted from the mountains.
Bronze, 2010
83 x 45 x 30 cm
Edition of 8, Edition still available
O Desmatamento II
This piece was created for installation and is an enlargement of the original O Desmatamento sculpture to create a near human size piece.
Crystacal, 2010
50 x 40 x 160 cm
Unique, Available for sale
What is an enzyme?
Enzymes are proteins that all living organisms make to enable them to control the chemical reactions inside their cells and bodies. Enzymes are the things that ‘do’ everything that happens in your body, from digesting your food, to moving your muscles, to making your hair grow. They work in a very 3 dimensional mechanistic way. They have a bit of them, called the active site, which is a special shape, a bit like a wrench being the perfect fit for a nut. A molecule will fit into the active site, then due to the presence of the right molecule in that space, the enzyme changes shape and either breaks bonds, or makes them by pulling molecules apart, or bringing different molecules together. They are amazing things.
