I consider my work in spaces such as white cube galleries, as well as other more open or environmental spaces. I have to visualise how the wire objects can hang suspended in these spaces. I feel the work can become ‘performances’ with light and movement, but is there more I could explore? I
This led me to consider other ways to hang the works. For my installation, Hotel Kalahari on Langvlei farm, the work hung from an earlier work, a steel and wire wing which hangs from the trusses of a barn. The shape of the wing and its intertwined wires dictate the possible hanging formations.
But how can I suspend the work differently?
Since I created Hotel Kalahari as a body of work, I have begun to consider my suspended wire installations not only as sculptural objects, but as sites of performative encounter. While light and movement have always played an integral role in animating the work, I am increasingly drawn to how viewer presence, ambient sound, and shadow might extend the sculptural experience into an immersive event.
Below is an image of a nest I found in Namibia (2024), which fell to the ground. It was clear that the branch onto which the nest was built broke from the tree. By the time I visited the nests, the birds had left.
Most of my inspiration for creating the work, and also for thinking about ‘showing’ it, comes from how Ruth Asawa shared her work. I have the privilege of also looking at other contemporary artists who work with wire/fibre, like Racso Jugarap ( Phillipian born) Ulrik Dufossé, Gjertrud Hals, Sally Blake (Australian)
A work by Jugarap, ‘It will come back to you, 2021 stays with me throught this exploration. in this work the artists says that the wireframes ‘start with a sense of belonging, connectedness and safety. He then reminds the viewer that we all bring an engery in the world and that spaces are in flux – we have power to shape them.
A recent discovery is the work of Australian artist, Ken Unsworth and an installation called Suspended Stone Circle II where the work was installed in the NSW Art Gallery. The work was first created in 1974-1977 and reproduced again in 1988, according to the Art Gallery of NSW.
I would love to do this with the nest, as if to remind us of the tree into which the nest is built in nature. There is also something beautiful in the ‘effect’ of the way you can suspend a work. It should not feel like I suspended the work; the work should look as if in nature, held up by the tree, or part of the tree. What I learned from Suspended Stone Circle is that the work touches upon the consciousness of the material world and how it rests upon this idea.
The sculpture consists of 103 river stones, each weighing around 15 kilograms, suspended by three wires tied to rings on the ceiling. These wires create three cones, suggesting a force field that appears to hold the stones in place. The stones then form a 4-meter-wide disc that appears to levitate, creating a sense of wonder and balance.
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I also looked at this work as it gives ideas of how work can be presented as an outside installation
Another work of the artist caught my eye – it is a series called Five secular settings for sculpture as ritual and burial piece, 1975. I am fascinated by the centre, the body, which in my case could be the nest and then I could ‘add’ the other objects around. It could become one intertwined work.
Practical thoughts around taking my work to an exhibition/gallery space
For the Sasol Signatures competition, I have a space of 250 x 250 x 250 cm to work with
Suspending the work: concerns will be to anchor to gallery walls, ceiling, or even consider custom poles (removable and padded for gallery use). I can use small, nearly invisible hooks or tensioning devices. The idea is to have the illusion of floating while ensuring stability, and have shadow play in the work about the environment. To secure and hang objects effortlessly I will use a product called w SafeTop Screw Eye Ring and Plugs set. These were designed for strength and stability The metal screw eyes feature a threaded screw end for secure installation and a circular ring for attachment. The included red plastic wall anchors provide enhanced grip in masonry or drywall, ensuring a firm and reliable hold. Perfect for hanging fixtures, supporting cables, or securing lightweight objects.
Below are options to use.
Materials to use to suspend the work can be fishing line, fine stainless steel, or copper wire to achieve both strength and delicacy.
From my research it seems the wall are made with dry walling and that the hanging system has a weight restriction of 30kg. For wall hanging works there is a fact sheet, but this does not include an installation like my work. It states that an artwork “must be submitted with the relevant hooks and wires for hanging the works already attached. Tapestries, quilts, etc. must be supplied with a strong rod or slat sewn to the top and bottom of the work”. Both these options will not be practical for the nest. I prefer that it is flat against the wall and that hooks on the work will link in to the wall on the preferred height on more than one attachment place on the work. The importance is that viewers can get close to (if not then under) the work.
How to use light to cast shadows in the installation
Brainstorm
Visualise the gallery – I found images as well as info on the ceiling hanging system. In a way the plan is hypothetical – I need to apply logistic or linear thinking in terms of how the work will be displayed in the gallery. It stays an idea till one enters the space. I would like the work to to be placed in a corner where it has two walls for shadows to interplay with the work.
Due to weight constraints the nest would have to hang against the wall – I would like it to also be suspended to the wall
