Multicoloured Zigzag and Citrus Circle are sculptures made from wire and recycled materials - cut-up bottle tops, containers, ring pulls and electrical components. Created by artist Deborah Duffin, they were acquired by the University in 2011.

In 1995 Deborah Duffin carried out a major work for BT to celebrate their change over from analogue to digital. Using old telephone wire, she made a 7m triptych. This brought an exciting array of colour into her work and prompted her to look at waste as a source of materials - she tries to use those that would otherwise be consigned to landfill.

Packaging comes in an assortment of colours, textures and materials. This has allowed her to mix colour as a painter might – juxtaposing colour to create a modulating effect. This leads the eye along or around the form, creating a richness of texture and colour. These two artworks are an excellent example of the way in which the artist uses waste materials to make her stunning organic artworks.

About the artist

British artist Deborah Duffin developed her artistic career in 1980s East London, exhibiting widely and exploring the interplay between drawing, sculpture, installation and photography.

Deborah Duffin explains that her early work involved an in-depth study of rhythm and pattern in the natural world - a physical manifestation of the energy of life; recording the way a line is created, a shape formed, a movement developed; the way patterns begin, develop, peak and die away, the way material, colour, pattern merge into one another.

When in London she curated a series of exhibitions in and wrote two books: 'Organise Your Exhibition' (1987) and 'Investigating Galleries' (1994). She taught Foundation at Sir John Cass School of Art and sculpture at Central Saint Martins, and through the 1980s and 1990s she was a visiting lecturer at numerous institutions including the Royal College of Art.

The Artist's practice

Working with wire, cable, collected materials and found objects - making use of waste, she aims to take her work into three dimensions, whilst retaining the spirit of an open-ended exploration of drawing; a celebration of drawing, process and materiality. At the same time, she highlights the contradiction of human destruction of our planet and the life it sustains.

She works intuitively, with focussed attention, watching what occurs and going with it. The pieces develop their own characteristics and each piece grows into its form as she works. The materials have a life of their own - the nature of the piece is revealed through the process of making and a new form of life emerges. At the same time, she is transforming the detritus of life into meaning and a feast for the eyes. A playful attitude is an essential part of her approach, and she embraces the many changes that occur along the way.

Much of her work is malleable, made from multiple elements, created with repetitive processes - cutting, twisting, tying, threading. Forms can be added to and reduced indefinitely - used in multiple ways, places and situations; every piece as a work in progress, mirroring our on-going lives and creating a feeling of connection and participation in the infinite and ongoing drama of our universe.

Find out more about Deborah Duffin and her practice on her website: https://www.deborahduffin.co.uk/

See Multicoloured Zigzag and Citrus Circle and other sculptures by Deborah Duffin by following the University's sculpture walk on our Streatham Campus. Find out more and download a map of the sculptures here.