So here are my artefacts, from which I have committed to make a new piece of work, by breaking them up to use as raw material.
I read the letter to the artists that came with them and am a little puzzled by being exhorted to not think of them as artefactual, archaeological or historic.
When a parcel arrives with unknown contents, the first thing you do upon opening it is identify what is inside. I expected an unidentifiable piece of ceramic, so was delighted to be able to tell that it is cutlery, and that it is pretty, and of different designs. And the corrosion has produced beautiful colours.
And knowing where and when they came from, it is nigh impossible to separate them from their context, not to think of all those mouths they have put food into and what was happening for those people at the time.
I have to either break the rules and follow my heart, or break up the objects as quickly as possible into unrecognisable bits.
