My practice is deeply rooted in the exploration of time, decay, and the tensions between the transient and the permanent. The sculptural work tries to reveal how all materials, whether they are decaying fabrics or enduring bronze, carry with them a story, a history, or even an energy of the past. The discarded, the deteriorating, and the preserved interact to create a narrative about both the fragility and resilience of life and systems, especially in the context of urban environments.

My work emphasises the often-invisible processes of decay that are happening in plain sight, such as in urban spaces where the marks of erosion and transformation are in a constant flux. These processes and stains are not typically celebrated but are made visible in my practice. This invites the viewer to reconsider how we engage with the natural decline of things and to re-engage with our bodies as entities that are in constant biological flux.
The use of organic materials, such as discarded fabrics, brings the idea of impermanence into physical form. On the other hand, the use of bronze, with its durability, introduces an opposing idea: that some remnants of the past can survive far beyond their time. The pairing of these materials evokes a dialogue between decay and preservation, calling into question what survives, what is lost, and what is selectively saved or forgotten.

The discarded materials are reconfigured into semi-sculptural and semi-archival objects. Archiving is an act of preservation and through using materials like resin or metal plinths it gives this decay a new life within the framework of archaeology. These fragments are not just remnants of a past world; they are recontextualised as artifacts, elevated to hold meaning as part of a larger historical narrative, suggesting that decay itself is part of that narrative.

Website: ionaogilvystuart.com