We recently had a visit from Nigel Williams, a UK-born & -based sculptor and photographer, who has also spent some time living and working near the Rocky Mountains in Western Canada. His workshop, home and library is now in Berkshire.
His sculpture work is mostly in sheet metal (copper, brass, steel, aluminum, etc), often re-cycled, and frequently with ‘found’ objects as a basis. His influences and inspiration come from a wide range of sources, including industrial archaeology, heritage transport, modern abstract sculpture, and ethnic mask-making.
Nigel’s current themes include the creation of beautiful botanical forms from spent armaments, and the “fantastic embellishment” of antique domestic & industrial artefacts. Whilst works in the former can invoke disturbing confrontations with the nature of human conflict, works in the latter often incorporate a good deal of humor and nostalgia.
These two themes highlight the truly mixed-up left-brain and right-brain nature of Nigel’s character, leading to constant internal turmoil, but ultimately to the creation of work which appeals to a wide range of people.
Nigel sources materials from scrapyards, sales, metal traders and garage clear-outs, and is often in very poor condition.
He spends a lot of time visiting heritage transport events, auto-jumbles and reprieved industrial sites (usually now museums, tended by retired gentlemen who are still very passionate about the older machinery) to look at and learn about the technologies, and acquire source material for my work. He has exhibited across the U.K and his work is present in collections in Spain, the United States, Australia and New Zealand!
As a photographer, Nigel holds a fascination for detail and patina, and sometimes combines his imagery and sculpture to produce 2D/3D work. His photography has been published in two unusual books: one – “K-scopes” – of kaleidoscopic images painstakingly constructed from details of mostly man-made machinery and architecture; the other – “Pacific Northwest Iron” – of “surfaces” and other images made during travels along the Northwest coast of North America.
Nigel is a member of the Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen, past administrator for and now lifetime honorary member of the Oxford Sculptors Group, and a member of the Surrey Sculpture Society. He is also a member of the Rowland Emett Society, the British Vintage Wireless Society, the Telecommunications Heritage Group, the Association of Industrial Archaeology and the Fairground Association of Great Britain.
On this occasion whilst Nigel was visiting us, he found a classic solid brass kettle stand from our stall holders Adrian & Jane Jeffries (Unit 46W). The stand is now destined to join one of Nigel’s new sculptures which we look forward to seeing in the near future! You can see more of all the fantastic work Nigel creates at his website or Facebook pages below.
Website: Orlogik Studio
Facebook: Orlogik Studio
