The Deceived

Jeopardy - preliminary drawing, 2018
Mixed media on paper
500 x 400 mm

Jeopardy (Medal), 2019
Bronze, paint, patina, digital print on steel
Ed 5135 x 135 x 20 mm

The Jeopardy of Unknowing, 2019
Digital print on steel, bamboo, epoxy
150 x 150 x 150mm

Coracle of the Deceived, 2020
Printed polymer photogrammetry, brass, bamboo, wood, linen thread, stainless steel wire, glass
Total installation: 1860 x 1500 x 1500 mm. Coracle: 650 x 500 x 500 mm

In 15th century Hieronymus Bosch comments on moral decline associated with excess, as his hapless, debauched crew flounder directionless in the Ship of Fools. Bennett references the Bosch composition based on circles to reference the globe or our portion of it (the bowsprit marks latitude 41S). Twelve in a circle – a ticking clock. The coracle is a metaphor for our current situation – insecure, unstable. Issues are global, solutions are local. In the Coracle of the Deceived Bennett turns Bosch’s concept on its head. A future generation of 12 bewildered young people (real New Zealanders ill-prepared for what confronts them) in an insecure vessel attempt to navigate a path through perilous circumstances.  Their ‘coracle’ - unstable, flimsy, over-loaded, impractical, not up to the task. Each with a different role their need is to work together, coordination is key.  They are seeking a place to stand and seeking balance in an environmental abyss. The ring inscription berates the current generation for our blindness in compromising their future. Felicity Milburn – Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū.

Coracle of the Deceived, 2020
Printed polymer photogrammetry, brass, bamboo, wood, linen thread, stainless steel wire, glass
Total installation: 1860 x 1500 x 1500 mm. Coracle: 650 x 500 x 500 mm

In 15th century Hieronymus Bosch comments on moral decline associated with excess, as his hapless, debauched crew flounder directionless in the Ship of Fools. Bennett references the Bosch composition based on circles to reference the globe or our portion of it (the bowsprit marks latitude 41S). Twelve in a circle – a ticking clock. The coracle is a metaphor for our current situation – insecure, unstable. Issues are global, solutions are local. In the Coracle of the Deceived Bennett turns Bosch’s concept on its head. A future generation of 12 bewildered young people (real New Zealanders ill-prepared for what confronts them) in an insecure vessel attempt to navigate a path through perilous circumstances.  Their ‘coracle’ - unstable, flimsy, over-loaded, impractical, not up to the task. Each with a different role their need is to work together, coordination is key.  They are seeking a place to stand and seeking balance in an environmental abyss. The ring inscription berates the current generation for our blindness in compromising their future. Felicity Milburn – Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū.

Carousel, 2022 - Maquette for A Theatre of Deception
Digital print on bamboo, painted steel, wood.
815 x 480 x 480 mm
‍
Recent sculpture. Image courtesy of Milford Galleries Dunedin, Photographer - Glenn Frei

A Precarious Will Be, 2022
Corten steel, rust, paint
2640 x 1680 x 960 mm
‍
Recent sculpture – suitable for outdoors rusted steel. Image courtesy of Milford Galleries Dunedin, Photographer - Glenn Frei