Fracture 2014

White willow, brass rods; Constructed   h 28 x w 38 x d 38 cm

Dail Behennah

Structure & Surface

Part 1 Structure

My career to date has focused on structure. I began as a basketmaker, concerned with building self- supporting three dimensional forms using basketry and textile techniques. Sculptural forms comprising layered willow grids became my trademark. These allowed light to flow over and through the grids, changing as the viewer moved around the object. Shadows were an important and integral part of the work and the changing light throughout the day animated the pieces.

Spreading from the West & White Column 2014

Paper, graphite. Plaited.

Dail Behennah

Structure & Surface

Part 2 Surface

My most recent work has been made in paper, using a traditional basketry technique which appears new because the paper has been pleated before being plaited. The resulting surface is faceted and shadows are thus cast within the structure. Variations in pleating, width of strips and surface treatment of the paper all contribute to an interesting textured and sculpted surface. Thus my work is moving from an emphasis on structure, the willow grids, to an emphasis on surface. After 25 years of making I am confident in my aesthetic choices and excited by exploration of a new technique and materials.

For this exhibition I wish to investigate how the structure of a surface affects both the absorption and reflection of light, and I wish to make the light an integral part of the work.