Material Evidence I

Material Evidence I brings together heat-altered deadstock synthetic fur and a piece of Yorkshire stone, placing manufactured and geological matter in close proximity. The fur has been transformed through heat, shrinking, fusing and removing areas of fibre so that its familiar textile identity becomes increasingly uncertain.

The title reflects my interest in material as a form of evidence. The altered fur appears to offer clues to its identity, yet these remain ambiguous. Its textures might suggest scorched vegetation, bark, mineral deposits or fragments gathered from a landscape, while areas of recognisable fur retain evidence of its manufactured origin.

The Yorkshire stone introduces an actual fragment of geological matter into this encounter. The transformed textile does not attempt to imitate the stone; rather, their proximity encourages subtle correspondences between surfaces, textures and material formations. What is synthetic and what is geological remain distinct, while becoming visually and conceptually entangled.

The work develops through direct material experimentation rather than from a predetermined image. Material Evidence I considers how we recognise and categorise matter, particularly as petrochemical-derived materials become increasingly embedded within natural environments. By bringing synthetic and geological matter together, the work invites close looking while resisting the reassurance of a fixed or singular reading.