Matilda Bird
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About my practice
I seek to reinvigorate the adult mind through the basic environment to stimulate new ideas and promote creativity in a world that desperately needs it.
Like a wind turbine using kinetic energy to create power, I want to create work that utilises the movement we exert when interacting with everyday objects.
I would often struggle to justify my right to make art; by grounding my work in function, I granted myself a free pass to explore and produce ‘things’.
The Rat Trap Chair
The rat trap chair is an interactive piece made from reclaimed 18mm birch ply. In order for it to take its form as an arm chair it has to be engaged with and used by the viewer. The piece came from a desire to create a chair that faced the wall and yet functioned in this way , springing back up when no longer in use to further the trickery.
My current works have been informed by the simply engineered mechanisms of vintage toys, automata, and pop-up books. I then apply these principles to mundane objects such as chairs, introducing new life and playful elements to their form, resulting in interactive sculptures. I work with whatever mediums best suit a concept but mainly wood, metal and model making materials such as foamboard, wire and found materials
The Rat Trap Chair. 110 x 62 x 48.2cm 18mm reclaimed birch ply, Rat traps, hinges, barrel nuts
Second chair in the works
I will be showing a second chair alongside the rat trap chair in this years graduate show. This chair has the option to swap functionalities between a dinning or an armchair by being manualy adjusted.
A lage part of my process is to make models to explore ideas, problemsove and refine measurements. Below you will find a video demonstrating my second chair design.
Concept models for future works
Designed so that they only take their functional forms when in use, my pieces become something else when empty, granting them a life beyond their function. Because of the essential role the viewer plays in the transformation of each piece, they are provided with a sense of belonging within the work and challenged to explore how they perceive functionality.
The Automata Bench
Following the mechanical principles of automata, the arm rests of this bench would rise as the user took a seat. When not in use, the arm rests and seat components would sit level with one another and would appear to be resting on the frame. Therefor presenting a great oppertunity to use repurposed materials and unusual objects for the arm and seat components that would have the apperance of resting on a table and get re-imagened into function when engaged with.
Model No.5
Matilda Bird
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