Mussel Reprisal at 2 FOR 1
2023 The installation “Mussel Reprisal” is included within the exhibition 2 FOR 1, curated by ThorpStavri and HAZE at 50 Celebration Avenue, London. The exhibition aimed to shine a spotlight on the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals and encourage links between sustainability, creatives and a wider community. --- The installation “Mussel Reprisal” takes as its starting point the idea that a mussel is capable of protecting itself by clamping its shell around the tongue of a predatory fox. The installation comprises building materials, shells and collected rubble from the studio floor to consider the protective urges of more-than-human life forms. Within the installation is the work “Gritty Stacker” which draws inspiration from the behaviour of oysters, mimicking the way young oysters, known as spat, seek safety by attaching themselves to older molluscs to form a colony. The work “Familiar”, takes the form of a hollow shell designed to protect an urban fox. Influenced by Japanese folklore surrounding Kitsune, a fox spirit capable of shapeshifting into human form, Reading emphasises the connection between humans and wildlife.