55 x 75 x 50 cms, plaster, paperclay, polyurethane, resin, acrylic, 2023

The Hard Place reflects on the tensions between movement and stillness, and the importance of creating moments of pause within an increasingly demanding world.

The work emerged from a desire to reconnect with the inner spaces that ground us, particularly in moments of overwhelm and disconnection. Through the body, I explore ideas of resilience, restoration and the quiet forms of strength that allow us to adapt and withstand.

A key inspiration for the work came from the sea star, a form I was drawn to for many years before incorporating it into my practice. Its remarkable ability to regenerate became a powerful metaphor for renewal and the cyclical nature of growth. Repeated and mirrored on the reverse of the sculpture, these forms speak to our capacity for continual transformation.

Black was chosen to amplify a sense of power, protection and resilience, while the emphasis on the solar plexus draws attention to the body’s centre of personal agency and self-belief. The seated posture introduces a stillness, suggesting that grounding and self-reflection are not passive acts, but essential conditions for growth and change.

Through material experimentation and symbolic form, the work considers how resilience is cultivated through cycles of rest, regeneration and becoming.

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