captive Sculpture

Amanda Rae's works are assemblages that investigate concern for ecological issues, the materials she uses are often experimental. The sculptures are drawn from a "found-object" cocktail of elements, forming assemblages that tell of man's conflict with nature. Earlier works consist of mannequins within assemblage. Chosen for their unsettling representations of the human form and the disturbing sense of the unheimlich which they create, she has continued to use body forms in her work stating that "it echoes the multiple directions a piece may take in the act of self-organizing, the body forms have nothing to disguise themselves. What's left is a direct communication with viewer and a direct conversation between nature and people". Through these sometimes surreal associations, she explores the sense of liminality inherent in the world, the constant flux that is experienced on a daily basis. Her starting point - a concept, thought or theme - is explored through a combination of form and material inviting thought from the viewer's perspective of that union. 'Nothing in the entire universe ever perishes, believe me, but things vary, and adopt a new form'. (Ovid, Metamorphoses)