Frances Burnett-Stuart

The starting point of the body of work is moving through commonplace urban spaces. I construct a narrative through remembered journeys and imagined dreamlike sequences. A butterfly net, that could be an active tool, even destructive, is hung up on a wall, restful. A fence/screen hybrid is adorned with paper mache panels, rendering it useless as both a structure of containment and a structure of concealment. A flight of steps leading into pool steps signals a change terrain through which the viewer must mentally navigate. How structures choreograph our movement through spaces is the central concern of my work.

At the heart of my practice is a close consideration of material and craftsmanship. As an artist, I operated a slight of hand in offering the viewer one material in place of another. For example, electrical wire nets instead of a fibrous material, paper mache instead of wire in the fences, Styrofoam steps instead of concrete. I ask the viewers to route these changes through noticing them.