“Ziggurat 2" by Russell Bamber, 2018, Gold, Purple and Colored Laminates

My sculptures teeter on the edge of design, painting and architecture; selecting and employing elements freely and playfully to suggest function and familiarity. They are there to agitate a space; to bring unexpected joy and dynamism to our lives, bringing a new and exciting twist to the space they occupy. I thrive on solving spatial problems. My sculptures suggest function, and are functional, but their function is to tease and beguile. My mischievous use of colour and surface seduce the viewer into joyful excitement and further blur the boundaries of sculpture and design. Their dimensions can be domestic but their forms create a frisson; a frisson that encourages the participant to make a decision about their physical journey through a space (much as a kissing gate or linchgate), and pause to change direction or consider their direction. I make sculptural decisions on the unlikely, unexpected and delightful meeting of surfaces and how the viewer experiences those decisions. The initial simplicity of architectural form disguises the complexity of colour: Form is primary, colour secondary and function way down the list, but crucial. The actual experience of my work is what brings my work to life. As well as making ‘one-offs’ and limited editions I am open to commissions. Recent commissions include a television ident for itv; a sculptural intervention for Clerkenwell Design Week, London; and numerous articles and exhibitions.