Tanya Axford
Babel's Folly, 2001
12-22.05.2001
Princess Square, Newcastle upon Tyne
Babel's Folly crams a former department store space with thousands of rolls of domestic wallpaper pulled into teetering pillars.
"I continue to explore an uncomfortable convergence between the natural and the man-made, as I absorb myself, obsessively in the transformation of household clutter into extraordinary and improbable creations. Manipulating familiar, mass-produced materials I create vast organic environments, tactile and inviting. Domestic materials amassed in huge quantities evolve into new, unpredictable and spectacular forms. Babel’s folly creates an undulating sea of points which tower above one another as they clamber towards the ceiling. A myriad of patterns vie for attention, as ornate creepers mimicking natural designs grow profusely towards the window where the clashing of patterns and textures of the wallpaper echo the multitude of curtain fabrics visible from the tower block backdrop across the square.” Tanya Axford
As part of three site-specific commissions in Newcastle upon Tyne by Tanya Axford, Catherine Bertola and Jo Coupe.
