Art Blog

Deconstructed copper microorganisms by Ingrid Bolton

Ingrid Bolton converts recycled copper cables into naturalistic microscopic molecules. She breaks the cable down into individual strands and reconstructs it into different forms. The thick black rubber and various colourful strands encasing the "golden" hue of the copper create intricate and detailed works exploring the issue of cable theft.

Using pieces of severed copper cables, she shapes the copper and rubber into a cubic structure in various sizes, combining them into a network of "molecular" structures. The work speaks to her history in microbiology and her drive to make the microscopic world visible in her art. Her copper works explore connectivity and how the stealing of copper cables impact communities globally, interrupting communications, transport and connections.

Bolton explores pressing global issues such as copper cable theft, the role of microscopic organisms in the oceans, and ocean acidification. She won the Sasol New Signatures competition in 2012 and her work is included in the Sasol, Pretoria Art Museum and the Kilbourne collections. She has had solo shows at the Pretoria Art Museum, Sasol Art Museum and at Iziko South African Museum. She completed her Masters degree at Michaelis School of Fine Art in 2016, after finishing the BVA degree through Unisa, where she is currently a contract lecturer.

"My investigation into the microscopic is also about taking the time to consider the detail. How does the microscopic life affect the macroscopic world or more importantly how does our macroscopic behaviour affect the microscopic world that is all around us," says Bolton.

For more on Ingrid Bolton, visit her website.