‘At the very same moment when the whole world is at our fingertips, it also seems completely out of our hands’
‘Making’ Tim Ingold 2013
The Selfie stick is used as a metaphor to explore the interrelation between the maker’s hand, the materials and process. The resulting abstract sculptures, bags, sheaths and covers serve as a connection to objects of everyday human use. A Selfie stick references a digital world ‘at our fingertips’ and an emerging digital language. Also known as the ‘Wand of Narcissus’, it suggests inward tendencies and self-absorption; a disconnect in an individual or group’s relationships with the ‘self’ and others. We consume in images rather than through real experiences, indicating we have become passive mass consumers in an online world. We are continually searching, seeking connections, yet at the same time seemingly more disconnected than ever and losing our sense of self.
Making; the exchange of knowledge and skill, is as important as the end result. It grants us the opportunity to form profound connections, to be an active partner in a creative process and with materials. Sculptural elements bear the marks of human touch, time and the maker’s hand or spirit. Tacit knowledge; the communication between hand, mind and material properties and once passed on from generation to generation.
Penny’s work is concerned with the process of making and intangible cultural heritage. She is interested in using traditional crafts in new settings bringing them to new audiences and working in a range of materials. Her first career was in Hospitality, Hotels and Restaurants, but a lifelong love of making led to a change of career path. She recently completed a BA Hons (1st class) in Creative Arts at Oxford Brookes University and works from a shared studio space in Oxford.
insta : @pennymaltbymaker
Twitter: @pennymaltby1
