Do you have any scrap metal I could use? – Avery Bradley
Statement
Over the past months, I traveled around rural Middle Tennessee and asked one important question: Do you have any scrap metal I could use?
The answer was clearly a yes.
My senior exhibition is an exploration of how these materials —old, rusted, and discarded—can become something monumental. I became interested in how our relationship to these scraps, once bound by gravity, changed as they were suspended above our heads.
Using the largest of the metal pieces, I created an architectural construction that reaches up to the ceiling. It is completely dependent on a careful balancing act: each piece was only placed if it could remain without additional support. The work appears precarious intentionally, aiming to fully engage the viewer’s body as they stand beneath it.
With the smaller scraps I collected, I also created a hanging installation. These pieces become a textile of sorts, hovering overhead like a rusted tapestry. This work also holds an abstract map of where I traveled to gather the scrap metal, with each pulley or hook marking a significant —Avery Bradley
Bio
Avery Bradley was born in Houston, TX before moving to Atlanta, Georgia where she grew up. Since a young age she has retained both an interest in 3D art, seen in fascinations with origami and legos, and an interest in antique materials, fostered by her dad’s love for flea markets. In high school, Avery participated in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, where she studied visual arts formally for the first time. In college she continued her found passion for sculpture and mixed media art by minoring in fine art and ultimately deciding to pursue the major in studio art at Vanderbilt University. During her time at Vanderbilt, Avery had the opportunity to exhibit Icarus, a sculpture installation with collaborator Alphonse Oh.
