There is an assumption that everyone is the product of their past experiences, their choices and the decisions made throughout their lives. This body of work considers the elements that have been discarded and dismissed and concerns itself with questions surrounding the “what ifs” and “what might have beens” in life.
The early stages of this body of work began quite literally with thoughts and ideas hurriedly written on pieces of paper which were then crumpled up and sealed in plaster/filler, remaining hidden from view. As the work progressed the closed objects opened up to reveal their inner contents.
The work takes on the appearance of crumpled sheets of paper with each one representing an incomplete action, unfulfilled promise or a discarded thought. These thoughts, having remained dormant and forgotten, have a strange familiarity whilst at the same time also possess an air of mystery. They are ambiguous and shifting, stained and incomplete. They have a sense of the past but also refer to the present and are suggestive of things to come.
The Discarded Thoughts theme has since been expanded to include forgotten memories; fleeting images that suggest rather than illustrate events real or imagined. References to lost knowledge are also present in the graffiti-like markings, the traces of writing and images beneath the surface of the pieces and the suggestion of prehistoric cave and rock art.
Further information can be found on the Discarded Thoughts website
Mark Lomax 