Cities in Transition

The transformation of the built landscape and it’s visible imprint on our environment is a central theme to my work. Berlin, a city haunted by memories of the political and social upheavals of the twentieth century, has been a focus for several of my large-scale woodcuts. In ‘Berlin East II’ I am concerned with the abstract order of the Modernist tower blocks of the former DDR. The idealism of these socialist housing projects during the communist era is fading and while cutting the woodblock I wanted to suggest the sun setting on this utopian view.
Another aspect of my printed works is the precariousness of human endeavour that is evident in ruination. The ambitions we invest in our environment and the ultimate fragility of this is, perhaps, most apparent in Rome. The woodcut 'Aqueduct, Rome' depicts the remains of an aqueduct on the outskirts of the city. Overgrown and dilapidated, this monumental structure stands as a stark reminder of both the brilliance and the ultimate collapse of the Roman Empire.