Luke Abbot

Host 2023
Titanium, sterling silver, neodymium magnets, Australian white beech, stainless steel, tung oil

Artist statement:

While creating Host, I was acutely aware of the time in which we live and work. A time where a craftsperson works on a computer in equal measure with their hands. A time where the computer may soon consider itself a craftsperson. A time where an object may consider itself alive. As the elytra snaps shut and the mandibles embrace my neck, it’s getting easier to imagine a time when human creations will be alive.

In this case, the question of whether my work is alive is fantastical, based solely on a love for the creatures that inspire my practice. However, the idea of human creations becoming sentient is no longer just fantasy, but an impending possibility and a mainstream fear.

I see the body as an ecosystem in which there are several micro-climates. Each one of these becomes a place for me to fill with creations. Like all my jewellery, Host treats the body as a habitat, but the way it does so is less passive than previous work.