Mary Attwood
I have always enjoyed industrial design on the extremely small scale and appreciate the enormous effort involved in the design and manufacture of the parts of things. In my work I recontextualize these pieces of mundane objects like plumbing fixtures, the nozzles of sports drink bottles, and bicycle parts, exploiting the details their designers so carefully considered . When I was introduced to traditional metal smithing techniques in the late 1980’s I began to develop a practice capable of fully exploring the world of this hidden small-scale architecture. Metal can be both rigid and plastic; luxurious and industrial and it has always stood for permanence, carrying intrinsic as well as perceived value. Coupling today’s found objects with materials and techniques that occupy a prestigious place in the history of craft affirms the thread of continuity that binds the blacksmiths and glass blowers of antiquity to the packaging and mechanical pen designers of today. With this in mind, I produce objects that enrich life in the contemporary home.
Mary Attwood live and works in rural vermilion parish, drawing inspiration from wildlife that surrounds her home and studio as well as a lifetime of studying architecture and design. Over her forty year career she has explored both traditional and innovative materials and method of construction and their relationships with each other.
