The point at which

The point at which was made during my six month residency at the Three Storeys creative venue in Nailsworth in 2020. At that time, the building was in a process of deconstruction and renovation, having previously hosted The Comrades Club for ex-servicemen and, before that, the Nailsworth Brewery. The work was created from mahogany skirting boards used during the second life of the building, from a room in the Comrades Club that was full of social gatherings, drinking and dancing. I removed the nails from the wood and planed one side, to reveal the scent and surface of the raw wood, giving the material a chance to speak of its colonial history, its distant origins both geographically and temporally. The other side retained its visible history of wear, ephemeral traces of points at which birthdays were celebrated, secrets were shared by soldiers, or lovers kissed with one heel against a wall. The timbers were suspended from the ceiling, leaning, slightly shifting, resurrected and activated. Memories could breathe from them and seep out into the room, whilst the audience walked amongst them, taking in their smells, textures, and movements. The residency took place during lockdown, whilst building work was suspended, and the work tapped into this sense of pause in the life of the building – almost like time stopping on the inhalation of a breath, before it could shift once again and breathe out.