what inspired ‘the cave’ series

My journey of creating the pieces from “The Cave” series begun by travelling around the Northern region of Vietnam. I have a strong belief that anyone who has travelled around this amazing country will always remember the stunning countryside and changing landscapes. Yes, Vietnam is known for rice paddies and mountains, and tourist friendly places such as Halong Bay. However, Ninh Binh province which is about 2 hours drive from the busy capital Hanoi, is my definite favourite. Here is where I discovered sculptural limestone formations, rice fields and also amazing caves.

My visit to the Mermaid Cave in Thung Nham, Ninh Binh province, Vietnam was especially inspiring. The natural sharp shapes found in the cave were highlighted and in places distorted by the addition of artificial lighting. Observing these natural forms and manipulating images that captures spectrum of colours and shapes resulted in abstracted representations of the cave. The intention was to capture the interaction of light and form emphasising sharp edges highlighted by the colourful lighting in the cave.