Marlene Sarroff

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