Fierce And Fragile

Fierce and Fragile brings together Robyn Neild and Kazuhito Takadoi in an exploration of nature, material and transformation, bringing bronze and organic materials into dialogue through contrasting ideas of permanence, fragility and change. About Fierce and Fragile brings together Robyn Neild and Kazuhito Takadoi in an exploration of nature, material and transformation. Bronze and organic materials are brought into dialogue: grasses and twigs are woven, stitched and tied, while forms drawn from the ephemeral natural world find permanence in solid metal. For Kazuhito Takadoi, nature is both inspiration and source material. Drawing on the woodland surrounding his birthplace of Nagoya, he grows and hand-picks grasses, leaves and twigs, allowing the materials themselves to determine the character of each work. Nothing is artificially coloured; the materials are dried, woven, stitched or tied in their natural state, preserving elements that would otherwise disappear through the cycle of growth and decay. Robyn Neild similarly turns to the natural world, but through the enduring medium of bronze. Working with the lost-wax casting process, she gathers flowers, leaves, brambles and other organic materials, preserving their irregularities and delicate textures in metal. Evidence of making is often left visible, including fingerprints in the modelling wax, creating a direct connection between hand, material and finished object. Through their contrasting approaches, weight and lightness, permanence and ephemerality, fragility and strength are brought into close dialogue, revealing the natural world as something simultaneously delicate, resilient and constantly transforming. Read more Toggle Crafts Mixed media Sculpture