Briony Marshall

In my work am looking to explore the place of the human in the context of scientific doctrine.

I initially studied Biochemisty at Oxford University as I was fascinated by trying to understand the building blocks of life, and this search for truth and understanding has translated through to my art practice.

I have been exploring concepts such as the Digital Theory of the Universe and the emergence of complexity; self determination in the context of inherent nature and the role environment plays on decision points; perceptions of self and physical boundaries; ancestry, parent-child relationships and the nature-nurture debate; the nature of scientific discovery from both a process perspective and an analysis of personal motivations; macro-micro parallels; the role of geometry and mathematical harmonies in use of space.

I am also interested in the relevance of the aesthetic beauty and traditional methods of figurative sculpture to contemporary art practice. I continue to enjoy the process of figure sculpture; I am fascinated by trying to understand the physiology and structure of a figure, and how to make these insights apparent in the sculpture. Yet I still struggle with the relevance of representations of the body to a contemporary audience in the context of the history of 3-dimensional art since the 1960s.

In the next stage of my work I hope to continue with both the above aspects of my practice and potentially investigate further how they can complement each other. I am also interested in looking into the role Science plays in today’s society as the new religion. There seems to be a huge lack of understanding of science and a resulting blind belief which is in total contradiction to the nature of science. My practice also seems to be developing into an investigatory research process, where the work documents the journey I am going on. I look forward to where this journey will take me next.
www.briony.com