Digital Art and Photography

London's transport affair

Artist Statement: London's transport affair  

My first trip abroad, to London, was like an affair; incredibly exciting, yet I had to be daring! London's public transport infrastructure is what 'moved me' literally, and what 'moved me' to create this body of work.  

For me, art holds up a mirror to the world, in which we can see reflections of the current state of the planet and the universe we live in. Through capturing and altering photographs of London, I have tried to evoke the emotions I felt of being overcrowded, overwhelmed, and with a deep sense of invasion of my personal space.   

The method I have used, of superimposing different images over one another, mimics in a way how the city of London was developed and built over centuries.   

I have also brought into play certain images, like Leonardo da Vinci's sketch of a hummingbird, that I have used as a symbol of the unforgettable sound of an oncoming underground train, travelling at high speed. Fractals are incorporated as a representation of the pattern of humankind's never-ending compulsion to expand our horizons.   

In my work thus far, I have focused on glass as my main medium. What I have found so interesting in this series of works, is that glass remains a significant factor in my art. Considering the vantage points from which I took many of the photographs were behind glass; whether through the warped glass of a 17th Century pub, a rain splattered glass roof or a rain drenched train window.  My overall feeling, in relation to these works, is a recognition that there is a vast difference between what it must be like for a child growing up in a First World, fast paced, densely populated city like London, and the challenges it presents to stay street wise, compared to a child growing up in South Africa and all the different challenges they face in towns and cities without access to mass public transportation.  We are the manipulators of our own destinies, much depends on the 'affairs' we have in our lives. 

Only Lines

Artist Statement: Only Lines

In 2019, I took my first ever trip abroad and visited London and Venice. In both those cities I discovered lines that inspired me to move in a completely new direction.

Whereas I had headed out to Europe as an artist whose starting point was glass, I returned to South Africa as an artist whose starting point was moving towards photography, and I began to see South Africa with fresh eyes and found its diverse culture, landscape and heritage a rich new world for my imagination.

Wherever I roam now, I am more aware of lines. I can't help but see them in pavements, buildings, window frames, reflections, road and railway lines and in nature itself.

All five of my artworks features lines that I observed at the Gautrain station at Centurion, and I have manipulated them in such a way as to create a rich network of thick, thin, straight, curvy, diagonal, vertical, horizontal and criscrossing lines.

For the rail buffs amongst you, the Gautrain incorporates 80 kilometres of 1,435mm gauge railway line and the trains are provided by an overhead cable line pulsating with 25kV of alternating current.

Other Digital Artworks