'The Forgotten Man' was commissioned for the opening of the 'Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art' in Sunderland. The installation was my response to the fifty-year VE celebrations and considers concepts of identity and the emotional impact for anyone who suffers a mental breakdown.
The bullet shells represent the expression, 'they are shot away', used for people who suffer any mental disturbance, and watch faces without mechanisms are symbolic of those who suffer from loss of identity. The shattered dreams of families of people who suffer an emotional crisis are portrayed by broken glass, and institutional bed frames suggest dysfunction.
'The Forgotten Man' was created in memory of my Grandfather, and the thousands like him who never fully recovered from their war experiences. This work refers to the emotional consequences, which have impacted upon generations of families.