Industrial Tapa
Tapa is a type of bark cloth from the Pacific created by beating layers of bark together to make a surface. In my practice, I create multi-layered, worked surfaces using dried paint skins, which I call Urban or Industrial Tapa. These made/found abstraction works are inspired by the urban environment that surrounds me and industrial settings I grew up around, such as working in a paint factory with my father. Instead of traditional markings, I incorporate repetitive patterns we see every day, such as factory signage or the tread of a tyre. In Polynesia, made objects were once embellished with shells or parrot feathers and other found objects, here I add found urban detritus to continue this Pacific lineage of object making.
