Stories of glorious re-use
- Ann creates sculptures from found objects made of metal
- She chooses materials that tell a story and spark interest
- Her work is featured in the V&A Museum in London
Ann Carrington uses techniques such as welding and wire embroidery to transform everyday metal items such as spoons, buttons, safety pins and horse brass tokens into a diverse range of sculptural works. Her creations include her Memento Mori-inspired metal bouquets, and swaying, fragment-made metal curtains. Metal has been Ann’s primary focus since the 2010s, but she also experiments with wax and glass. The materials she chooses help convey the story she wants to tell, creating connections and curiosity through their familiarity. "This is what makes my work much more approachable, sparking surprise and curiosity, drawing people in to take a closer look," shares Ann. The materials, sourced from auction houses, antique shops and metal dealers, also contain their own stories of past usage and the homes and places they came from, deepening the storytelling within her artworks.
Interview
- How did you get into your industry?
- Few galleries showed work like mine at the beginning of my career, so I did it on my own terms. I put on exhibitions by myself and interest grew, slowly. Activity breeds activity: the longer I stuck at it, the more I was appreciated. I managed to build what they call a cult following.
- What was a turning point in your career?
- I was asked by the Royal Family to make a banner for the back of the royal barge during the Diamond Jubilee. I made a big coat of arms from loads of hand-sewn metal buttons. It was a prestigious piece to make, and I got a lot more exposure after that.
- How do the materials you work with inspire you?
- All materials come with their own story, and it is that story that I want to unravel. Sometimes it is about the country of origin of the materials, a specific colour, or a shape that takes the viewer on a journey.
- Where do you source your materials?
- I work with found materials that I get from auction houses and antique shops. I also have a cutlery dealer who provides me with cutlery from all kinds of auction houses. I might order 10,000 teaspoons or 500 fish knives, and he will find them for me. What I do not use I return to be melted down in a continuous recycling process.
Ann Carrington is an expert artisan: she began her career in 1981
Where
Ann Carrington
