Pringle, Hamish - Mudstone Shoal 4

Description

Artist’s notes on the ‘Mudstone’ series

Rough seas break off chunks of the clay deposits which are formed by estuary outflows into the sea. Waves bring them ashore and the daily tidal action across 150 yards of sand rubs them down in a process of attrition. Eventually these ‘mudstones’ become part of the beach.  I find these fragile pieces of clay midway through this process and preserve them.

Some rare ‘mudstones’ with holes are formed by the Common Piddock, a burrowing mollusc which lives in undersea clay banks.  Generations of these bore their circular nesting holes which increase in diameter.  In this work I’ve added a metal washer to each mudstone’s ‘eye’.  I found the majority of these washers on London pavements and streets.

These works relate to those non-transient ones by Andy Goldsworthy which use materials found in nature to make permanent art objects.