Artistic Stones

A stone, but not really a stone. A representation of a stone, machine-made and hollow, relative in size and shape to the body, a vehicle for communication, perhaps able to help us consider the natural world. The year is 2016 and technological advancements progress us into our brave new world. The west laid down a framework of science and logic for this model, the internet has been born to connect us all, automation is nearly within our grasp and promises to free us from this life of labour. We will all learn this new language of computers – coding – not unlike the beginnings of civilization and the formation of language itself. And if resources get exhausted or this place becomes too poisoned, we will travel into the great depths of outer space and find new planets to populate. The journey has begun. But, then somebody asked, “what is my relationship to a real stone?”

Born in Shrewbury UK, 1982, Tom Hayes is a travelling sculptor. Time, growth and decay, transience and cycles, and human relationship to the natural world are key themes running throughout his work. As a travelling professional, he's been creating and exhibiting around the world over the years. His latest professional experience saw him act as Art Director of Dawang Cultural Highland in Shenzhen, China for more than 3 years, and he is ready to move on to the next challenge in life.