Electro-Crystallised Vessel
Electro-Crystallised Vessel
EXPERIMENTAL METALWORK · MATERIAL RESEARCH
MORPHOGENESIS
noun · Greek morphē (form) + genesis (origin, coming into being)
What happens when we begin to see metal as a living material?
Copper has shaped human civilisation for thousands of years We have mined it from the earth, transformed it through heat and force, and built our modern world around its properties. Yet in our contemporary society we see metals as inert and
"man-made".
In ancient alchemical traditions they observed metals respond and change with the elements, react and transform. They understood the Earth was not simply a storehouse of raw materials, but a place where matter developed and grew. They saw metal as alive.
Morphogenesis explores the transformation of reclaimed copper through traditional metalworking and experimental electro-crystallisation. Hand-raised vessels become sites of crystalline growth, as electricity, chemistry and time produce intricate structures that evoke geological formations and the emergence of life.
Copper Through Time
Copper was one of the earliest metals to be mastered by man, finding use in tools, vessels, and early sculpture
Today, copper remains fundamental to modern life, running through the infrastructure of our homes, electrical systems and technologies. Its story connects ancient craft with contemporary industry.
Despite its material prevalence, today the craft of coppersmithing is listed as critically endangered by Heritage Crafts
The Nahal Mishmar Hoard is a collection of 442 ancient copper artifacts © Jerusalem Museum
From Scrapyard to Sculpture
Copper is abundant in scrapyards, by working with reclaimed copper, 'foraged' from scrapyards. Morphogenesis explores copper’s potential for transformation. Rather than treating scrap as an endpoint, I mimic industrial recycling techniques on a tiny scale to use the scrap as a sacrificial material to 'grow' crystals of pure copper on the surface of the sculptures.
A common source of scrap copper, hot water tanks at the scrapyard
Taking Form
Each work begins with traditional metalworking. Copper sheet is raised by hand with hammer and stake, gradually forming a vessel through repeated cycles of hammering and annealing.
Electro-Crystallisation
The process then shifts from shaping to observation and patience. Much like the process of electrolysis used in industrial copper refining, the vessel is submerged in an electrolyte, where an electrical current is put through the vessel and reclaimed scrap anode. Over a period of several months copper deposits into crystalline formations.
As the crystals develop, their form and density respond to electrical current, surface geometry, solution chemistry and time. Carefully controlling these variables allows the copper to form intricate, faceted structures reminiscent of naturally occurring mineral formations.
Vessel with copper crystals growing on the surface
Vessel before electro-crystallisation
Vessel after electro-crystallisation
Growth and Emergence
The final vessel itself is a record and artifact of electromagnetic forces, time and material transformation, connecting ancient man, and contemporary society. with material self-organisation and the processes of metallic formation that occur under the Earth's crust and throughout the cosmos.
By allowing the material itself to participate in shaping the final work, Morphogenesis challenges the idea of metal as an inert resource, inviting us to reconsider our relationship with the materials that shape our world.
