Toiling Hands Toiling hands was conceived by mistake, I was working on a large coiled ring with no idea where it was going to go. As I was working, the image of a pair of hands, in a prayer gesture formed in my mind. The finished piece was exhibited at Brunel University where it was spotted by a member of Hillingdon Council who thought it would perfectly capture the spirit of development currently in the borough. The piece is now permanently installed at the Civic Centre, Uxbridge. |
I had a close friend whose life was turned around. Waking up against church doors one morning; beaten and broken, he was taken in by the priest and the very virtue of that act didn’t turn him into a devout person, but changed his outlook towards people and life in general He was taught to channel his anger into more worthwhile directions. His natural reaction to hit back and destroy would have him be as bad as the people that done this to him, but by stepping back and ‘doing calm’ he was in fact made stronger. All his aggression was dropped and the passion and power were put into words. Toiling Hands is a cross between toiling thoughtlessly and toiling compassionately. The hands are tarnished like his life, but the position of the hands show the calm that he has now achieved in his life. |