And Then There Were None

The English country house might be said to exude an aura of heritage and refinement. In this series, grandiose interiors, often adorned with precious artefacts, seem to hold this meaning. But countering the viewer’s absorption into this world, are outsized objects that disrupt the order and tranquillity of the scenes. The objects are of a different ilk, at times, blocking the impression of timeless order. We are reminded, perhaps, of the country house in the context of fiction, notably, the whodunit genre, with the outsize objects being suggestive of clues within a crime scene. What has occurred is indeterminate, but a suggestion of social injustice and economic disparity may be felt, with misdemeanour and denial feeding into the meaning of the work. The treasured artefacts that speak of status and long-standing tradition are contrasted with the external space, glimpsed through windows and referenced through decorative elements and invading light. The internal and external become the dynamic through which we negotiate the work.