Gold plated Silver and mixed media

MEANING AND METHOD Alison Branagan links past with present to create a monument to the Millennium. The end of this century is symbolised by an image of death, the peaceful demise of an elderly couple. The use of gold celebrates the birth of the new millennium, which in contrast is a noisy and extravagant event. Gold is also used as a reference to the past, to the metal of the rings that united the couple in marriage. The gold itself has been obtained by recycling old rings. The title "Till" is a reference to the vows that were taken and from which the couple are now released. The use of boxes and the tiny scale, suggest that the faces themselves are rings in presentation cases. The boxes also have a visual similarity to coffins reinforcing the idea of death. The portraits, based on real faces, are uncannily like the death masks of miniature people. Cast in precious metal they are like relics, made to preserve that which decays, and consequently they look to the future. COMPARE AND CONTRAST: Maggie Clyde, We were then as we are now (Past and Present) Sheena McMaster, Mermaid's Purse (Containers) Indré Dirziené, Sample from an Offering Stone (Timeless Concerns)