Persistent Bodies

Materials: Salt, with ceramic or steel core. Ten cylindrical forms of cast salt lie like broken fragments of a column or a broken length of spinal bone. Each piece is solid in its crystalline form, whilst remaining sensitive and vulnerable to environmental changes. The work references the story of Lot’s (unnamed) wife who was turned to a pillar of salt but in opposition to the intention of this biblical story, the piece infers in it the subversive potential of bearing witness and the importance of looking back. The work evolved through a research residency at Glasgow Women’s library and personal experiences of recovery following a cancer diagnosis and treatment. The work co-commissioned by Castlefield Gallery and The University of Salford Art Collection for the exhibition Ruth Barker & Hannah Leighton-Boyce at Castlefield Gallery, Manchester and Glasgow Women’s Library. The was acquired by the University of Salford Art Collection.