Melanie Guy

Statement

'In wildness is the preservation of the world'...since 2000 Melanie has used resistant materials to make 3d works. She uses metal for design pieces and for her pewter wall sculptures. These have a strong design aesthetic, a universal language which has become her signature style in her aim to make something pure and beautiful.

2018

Rejoicing that New “Biosphere News Search” Web Site Launches to Benefit Global Ecology - "The global ecological system is collapsing and dying as human industrial growth overwhelms the climate and ecosystems. We urgently need to integrate knowledge regarding ecological problems and their solutions -- from the local to the global scale -- to inform advocacy and policy actions sufficient to maintain a habitable planet. Future phases of EcoInternet's Earth IT Project will organize the most important global ecological data sets into a 'Global Ecology Data Vault' using cutting edge data warehousing techniques not yet applied to global ecological sustainability," says Dr. Glen Barry.

‘Since 2004 I have used pewter sheet to make sculptural reliefs and often use an abstract mode, a universal language. This is devoid of cultural reference and it’s my intention to create something beautiful as well as thought provoking’.

She lived on a boat and was sailing for some three years – a floating life, surrounded by water and the natural world. This imprinted on her memory, and the environment and elemental conditions and other interpretations of her experiences emerge vividly in her work. She refines these and the forces and movement of the sea with minimalist, clean lines, and the philosophy that ‘less is more’. When light falls on the sculptural contours of the pewter, the metal is animated and makes an exciting visual effect, ever changing and delicate. This expresses qualities that can be found in the natural world and reflects our constantly waxing and waning empathy with nature.

Referencing circumstances from her bank of experiences - ‘My stimulation comes from all things natural, as well as the material and the varied methods that I use. I sometimes cross traditional boundaries and make free-standing sculptures with other materials such as clay or wood’

...a longer statemenent and a bit of a rant!

* If you don't know what I am riling against see these recent images http://www.hefty.co/truth-in-pictures/

 My influences are from all things natural and with the Zen-like philosophy that ‘less is more’ I shed extraneous material to express the essence of Nature’s energy and refine interpretations of my experiences and emotions.

Having lived on the sea for some years, the elements and the environment, their moods and contrasts, are interpreted. Illumination animates the sensuous, undulating pewter forms and mark-making so that when passing by, light appears on the surface but is gone the next - it is ethereal and resembles transient and delicate qualities in the balance of the natural world. 

The metal is also to some degree reflective and can be seen as a metaphor for self-examination – our own image seen against that of nature; her essence portrayed by simple lines and forms. In making this primal scream on nature's behalf my work is replete with feeling, hoping it will kindle awareness of our ruthless treatment and devaluation of the environment. We are natural products ourselves and need nature to survive, yet our continued disregard is having unimagined consequences on this vulnerable entity.

Perhaps what we need is a cultural shift in our concerns - if we accept that we have to conserve the natural world to survive - Polly Higgins in her second book, 'Eradicating Ecoside', writes about a potential formula for change.

Like the light, our empathy with nature waxes and wanes – a post-industrial whim or a dangerous fact? In this abstract mode I use a universal language which is devoid of cultural reference. I hope to promote a review of nature's plight and to celebrate her beauty and amazing ability to regenerate."