get a grip is a family of sculptural elements which speak to functional equipment.

Formally inspired by domestic hardware, cloth and copper objects are familiar and purposeful yet oddly redundant.

Fixtures we handle hold a special place in our perception of domestic space. Copper has antimicrobial properties that interact with proteins to inhibit sperm, bacteria and viruses, killing SARS-Cov-2 in one hour appeasing even the most anxious. Each touch of a hand registers a trace on its surface. To accept this patina of use is to refuse reproductive labour.

Obscured or ambiguous purposiveness provides the primary line of enquiry. Walton appropriates mundane material as part of an ongoing concern with the theme of utility – particularly in relation to reproductive labour and maintenance work. Subverting the function of everyday objects upends our understanding of what an art object or a utilitarian object could be. This instability is readily apparent when something is used in an unauthorised way – and becomes the prompt for a different kind of attention. As purpose is confounded associations are expanded beyond the zone of household activity.