Hanging in the balance

Hanging in the balance

(back)

Named after artist Elizabeth Murton’s ‘Hanging in the Balance’ development project and artwork funded by Arts Council England.

This piece combines wood and copper wire in a form that balances in space, defying gravity through strong magnetic forces. In parallel, the form also encapsulates temporal stasis with both materials possessing symmetrical timeless qualities: Despite its finite nature, wood is labelled as ‘the ultimate renewable’ resource and, although classified as ‘non-renewable’, copper is considered ‘the most reusable and recyclable’ metal.
This timelessness is also mirrored during the processes. Whilst bending, the wood regains its flexibility and thus appears to defy the linearity of time. Meanwhile, during the knitting, the repetition of the almost identical loops of copper induces a lack of focal point within the knitted form which blurs all temporal distinction: There is no landmark to define where the knitted process ends or begins. This lack of distinction is further amplified as the knitted form folds onto itself.