Spike Blackhurst: Against All Odds

11 Feb-15 Apr 2023

Overview

I have created these sculptures to increase awareness of how emotional abuse can affect our internal organs.

Emotions are often very abstract to try and describe. However, by allowing them to be viewed in a physical form offers a more inclusive audience and a deeper understanding, than just reading or listening about such trauma.

Within this collection of sculptures, four have been forged from metal and connected with Raku fired clay, reflecting the strength and fragility that these materials can offer.

After thirty years of working with metal, this is the first time I have incorporated clay into my work, this has been a challenging journey, filled with new discoveries and will now become part of my sculpture process for the future.

The fifth sculpture “Intuition” is forged entirely from steel to demonstrate the strength we have inside of us. With the gut often named ‘the second brain’ or ‘the voice to listen too’, it translates as our intuition.