Simon Starling

Starling, calls his work a "physical manifestation of a thought process"

Fascinated by the processes involved in transforming one object or substance into another, he makes objects, installations, and pilgrimage-like journeys which draw out an array of ideas about nature, technology and economics.

The concept of recycle-ability and re-appropriation, are at play here.




For Tabernas Desert Run 2004, Starling crossed the Tabernas desert in Spain on an improvised electric bicycle. The only waste product the vehicle produced was water, which he subsequently used to paint an illustration of a cactus. The contrast between the supremely efficient cactus and the contrived efforts of man is both comic and insightful, highlighting the commercial exploitation of natural resources in the region.

    

Shedboatshed (Mobile Architecture No 2) 2005 has a similar theme. Starling dismantled a shed and turned it into a boat. The boat was then loaded with the remains of the shed, and paddled down the Rhine to a museum in Basel. On arrival it was re-made into the shed.

Both pieces make a statement against the pressures of modernity, mass production and global capitalism.




Starling’s work One Ton, II 2005 brings in to focus energy consumption, and the huge amounts of energy used to produce tiny quantities of platinum. One ton of ore, mined from a South African open cast mine, was needed to produce the five handmade platinum prints above.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Starling
http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/turner-prize-2005/turner-prize-2005-artists-simon-starling