Catherine Bertola, Scratching the Surface, 2001

Catherine Bertola
Scratching the Surface, 2001

12-22.05.2001
Amy House, Newcastle upon Tyne 

For the work Scratching the Surface Bertola engraved a traditional decorative pattern into the exterior wall of a once-domestic, now-commercial building.

"My recent work has evolved from an interest in capturing traces of human presence and activity, that so often remain invisible and forgotten. Through processes of revealing, collecting and preserving the marks and residues that are left behind, I have created several installations and objects.The works are each made in direct response to the architecture and history of a given place, using only the materials found present within the space. They subtly intervene with their surroundings, allowing the works to appear as a natural part of their environment. Scratching at the Surface is sited on a wall of a building that holds within the remnants of a demolished building -- the former building was originally built as a house at the end of the 1800s, before being converted for commercial use. By scratching through the accumulated layers of paint and debris that still cling to the now-exterior wall, a decorative pattern is formed, suggesting how it may once have appeared as the interior to a room, during its original habitation.” Catherine Bertola

As part of three site-specific commissions in Newcastle upon Tyne by Tanya Axford, Catherine Bertola and Jo Coupe.