“The 3D Workshop is probably the best place I’ve ever been”: The making of a Fine Art final project

My work is a wave automaton. It’s kind of about how your skin is similar to wood, as it is to water. It’s always moving like water does, growing like trees, and we’re always in this constant flux of change. I think people forget that if you stay stagnant, you’re not going to go anywhere – you’re not going to grow.

I made it in the 3D Workshop, which is probably the best place I’ve ever been. I’ve used lots of materials that I’ve found or been given.

I didn’t come up with the idea of a wave automaton, there have been loads before me, but the ones I was looking at were all on the floor. So, me and the technicians were trying really hard to figure out how to make it on the wall and to move in the way I was hoping.

I bought two windscreen wiper motors from a car, I think it was a Ford. We thought we might only need one, but when we put both in it seemed to start moving really fluidly. There are lots of cams moving in different directions all along the dowels, and they position the movement in a way that’s like a wave.

Someone at the Uni was giving away this oak desk that they had loved for years. It was covered in marks and water stains, and I wanted to keep some of the surface of where it’s been loved and used.

The pattern of the carving is meant to look like waves, but you’re supposed to see lots of different things. Some people see mountains or sand dunes which is quite cool – I like it when people tell me what they think they see.

I gouged it out with this heavy-duty chisel, then I went back into it with hand carving. My first thought was that I wanted all the patterns on it to look the same, but I thought if I were to make it perfect it would have been so rigid, and that’s just not what any of my work is about.

My favourite part of the University is the 3D Workshop for sure, apart from my friends! It is just the most amazing space, the technicians are the sweetest people I have ever met. I haven’t had such support from a tutor in my life and I really appreciate it.

Not only do you come to them with an idea, but they’ll give you fifty ways on how you can do it, and in a way that’s cost-efficient too.

I’ve loved the freedom of the Fine Art course. It’s so self-led; if you want to get something done you have to make time for it and you have to push yourself, but you can really get into what you enjoy. There are briefs on the course, but they’re so varied and you still have so much potential to add your own twist.

Studying in Norwich as a whole is really nice, I’ve really enjoyed it – I feel like there’s always something going on. In third year I really found my place, and found the things I wanted to go see. You’re not far from the beach which is my favourite place, which is only about an hour on the train.

And the people really do make Norwich. I’ve never known there to be so many lovely people in one place.