MATERIAL ALCHEMY

MATERIAL ALCHEMY celebrates the process of fostering curiosity and indulging in play. Intrigued by the parallels connecting the work of an artist and an alchemist, Sarah explores the art of transformation, documenting the journey of finding a curious object, experimenting with its properties and potential, and working towards an ‘Eureka!’ moment.

Alchemy is the process of converting base metals into gold. Similarly, Sarah works with seemingly worthless, discarded materials, altering them to create treasured artefacts.

“I mend and combine matter, assembling small sculptures, juxtaposing the unlikely to create a tangible record of the environment and people. I curate objects of intrigue in ‘families’ based on an instinctive response or relationship between materials. I aim to preserve an object’s history, acknowledging the past while recognising new potential. Like an alchemist, I indulge in the process of measuring out and combining different quantities of substances, in the hope of striking gold.”

In this exhibition, Sarah explores a range of responses to found objects, celebrating the instinctive creative process that can (if lucky) yield exciting reactions and unexpected results for the alchemist.