METAL WORK (SD video , 6:49mins , 4:3 , colour and sound)
~:Metal Work is an early moving image work that explores my interest in redundant forms of production and the dichotomy between machines of labour and leisure inspired by the north of England’s industrial heritage and decline. Through careful framing and composition, the work emphasises the beauty found in the residual, abject, and visceral aspects of mechanical processes, transforming them into visual abstractions captured by the camera. Partially filmed at Kelham Island in Sheffield—one of the city's oldest industrial manufacturing sites—the piece features a working steam engine (now housed in a heritage museum) that my grandfather operated when it was still in use at Sheffield's crucible steel factories. He worked on it after migrating from Jamaica to Sheffield in the 1950s. The film delves into the material and sensory qualities of various mechanical processes, exploring the value and language of mediated imagery. Through sound and text, it seeks to reassign new meanings and perspectives to obsolete forms and images.