Artist
Chien-Wei, Chang
《One after another no.3》
I love metal because of the characteristics of the material and the process of making it work: treating it with fire to anneal it, using hammers to translate the invisible ideas into visual forms, and bathing it in water to cleanse it. When I place metal, especially silver, into acid to purify and turn it white, it feels as though I have completed a personal ritual – almost like a baptism.
Driven by a passion for metal as a material and a personal interest in the ritual of the whole making process, most of my works reveal strong Eastern and Western aesthetics and cultural references by combining metal with other natural materials, such as wood, bamboo or found objects. Each piece I produce has a title and depicts different stages of the narrative of my life as a craftsman living and working in the UK.