Take Five | Martin Langford
We asked printmaker Martin Langford to pick five pieces from his exhibition ‘This Is Us’ – and to explain the meanings and inspirations behind them
“‘Disaster’ is a man-made beast created from our constant consumption and disposal. It seems that no matter how much footage we watch of oceans flooded with plastic bottles, and landfill, there’s no stopping this beast from growing.”
“‘London’ is a comment on the lack of planning in erecting city buildings. The skyline in London has not been preserved. Consumerism and greed have the city collapsing under its own weight.”
“‘Firestone’ was produced as a result of my outrage against the way this beautiful Art Deco building was razed to the ground by developers in August 1980, the weekend before it was to be made a listed building! Its destruction did, however, save the Hoover Building.”
“‘After Escher’ is a homage to one of my favourite artists and is based on his impossible stairway ‘ascending and descending’. It’s a piece of social commentary because if this stairway existed as a real structure in today’s society, this is what it would look like.”
“I got this idea when I was standing in the queue at Disney World. It’s about how excited you are at the beginning of ‘the ride’ i.e. your career, your life, your ambitions, hopes and dreams, and you cannot wait to get on. But once you get on to the rollercoaster that’s my view of a 9-5 job, it’s basically the same ride over and over until you retire with a carriage clock.”
Martin Langford, ‘This Is Us’, September 21 – October 14 (Private View Thursday 20 September), free entry, For Arts Sake, 45 Bond Street, Ealing, W5 5AS, Mon-Fri, 10am-5.30pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 12-5pm. *WIN* one of Martin’s newest framed etchings, worth more than £400, here.