My work for the Royal College of Arts Final Show 2016 starts with a story: a piece of magic realism written by Mikhail Bulgakov. It is about a street dog called Sharik that is scientifically experimented upon by having his brain removed and a human one transplanted in its place. He survives this operation and after a few weeks starts to display human intelligence and behaviour - including the ability to speak and communicate human-like demands and desires. However, at this point of articulation, the operation is reversed and his canine brain is restored so that he becomes a dog again.

I sculpted a repetition of the character in different positions and emotions, and then I realised I was doing a representation of myself and the experience of mourning.

The Crucifixion Starts with a New Day

61.5cm x 54.5cm x 41cm

Hand-built Earthenware, coloured slips, semi-matt, shiny yellow and transparent glaze.

Waking up every morning with the task: to recognize yourself and recover your consciousness. It is just for the living.

You Will Find Yourself in Darkness

61.5cm x 19.5cm x 17cm

Hand-sculpted earthenware, coloured slips, transparent glaze and glass.

Implosion is the concept of this sculpture. When you sink into yourself, it is not possible to walk, to hear, to see, and you are transiting between darkness and light.

Delicatessen

(Dimensions variable – 6 pieces)

Hand-built Earthenware, variety coloured slips, shiny and transparent glaze and lustre.

I sculpted dog paws as a kind of ‘memento mori’ of the fictional character. I created a texture that refers to raw meat such as is found hanging in butcher shops. We may not care to think about the once living animal, rather, we think only of the deliciousness of the meat we can make with its dead flesh. These fragments therefore represent pieces of innocence.