Following in a long tradition of art and the body, my interests lie with themes of life, death and illness. I make highly formal sculptures using materials that are often medical, such as syringes, hypodermic needles, microscopic slides and plastic airline tubing. These materials bring the work into the context of medical intervention and of the hospital as place. They also help to convey feelings of the fragility and vulnerability of the human condition. Using these materials as a starting point in an exploratory way, the work develops organically, acting on natural instincts, and taking inspiration from both personal experience and research. As a result, each piece is autonomous. There are many research avenues open for today’s artists working within this subject area. I have used medical libraries, art history, literature, media articles and the Internet for my research, as well as drawing from life experiences. Artists of influence include Eva Hesse, Helen Chadwick and Mona Hatoum. Although I am working with sculpture, my roots stem from a painting background. I am hoping to re-ignite this former passion, to develop it along side my sculpture practice. I enjoy the physical making of sculpture, and the discovering of new materials, but also miss the pushing around of paint.