All images on this post © by Marlene Sarroff, 2011
For more information: http://marlenesarroff.com/
Street Utilities
Ordinary everyday things, have a
fascination for me, whether it is a graffiti wall, neon sign, bubble wrap,
cardboard or the metal utility covers found on roads and
footpaths ( particularly in my inner Sydney neighborhood ). These metal covers
either take the form of rectangular
grids or can be circular in shape. Walking everyday, I have photographed every
one I see, and this has led to an enormous collection of images. The wondrous thing is that although these
are all manufactured and are much the
same, depending on age and the type of utility, they take on different hues and
colours as they are often subject to a dash of paint, put on by the various work departments. (
gas, water etc )This aesthetically appeals to me greatly, the variations that
can occur with objects that originate in the same mould. Circles have played a
prominent part in my art practice. I wouldn’t say my work is influenced by the
street utilities, but I am strongly attracted to them because my work is often
concerned with order and disorder or randomness. The utilities all start out
exactly the same a manufactured product and gradually owing to the various
elements, they become quite individual pieces. Its this accidental
transformation that I find fascinating.
This idea of transformation is carried over with my work as I like to
use industrial mass- produced materials and transform them into something else,
without changing the integral properties of the material. - Marlene Sarroff, 2011
