A series of pieces made with wire, cable and recycled electronics. 'Furl and Fall' (the top three images) was shown in 'If Not Now, When - Generations of Women in Sculpture in Britain, 1960-2022' at the Hepworth, Wakefield, 2023, and toured to the Saatchi Gallery, London, 2023/24. Based on drawings of the flight paths of insects, these pieces draw attention to the effects of our wanton waste on wildlife and the environment. Using the materiality of the materials to create three dimensional drawings, these pieces are malleable and lend themselves to a variety of situations: 'The Temporary Nature of Change' with Mikey Cuddihy, MOCA, London, 2021; and 'Quintessential', a solo show at Coffeeismycupoftea, Dalston, London, 2017. Fixed to walls, draped over plinths, singly or combined they lend themselves to experimentation - while simultaneously hinting at the transitory nature of our life on earth.
A series of five pieces commissioned by Liberty Global, in 2017, made with materials they supplied: cable from their telecoms business. Stripped down these cables revealed a surprising and inspiring range of useable materials, colours and textures. The resulting pieces aimed to communicate their hosts role in the telecoms industry worldwide. Liberty Global's response was: 'We absolutely love them! The way you have managed to depict such things in the sculptures, is truly amazing'. They are now housed at their British headquarters, hopefully inspiring all who work within the company.
A series of small pieces made with offcuts from larger pieces above. The final image: a group of small pieces shown as one piece in 'The Temporary Nature of Change', a two person show with Mikey Cuddihy, MOCA, London, 2021.
In 2024, Deborah was invited to create a piece of sculpture using beach debris, for 'One Island, Many Visions', group show of members of the Royal Society of Sculptors, by The Portland Quarry and Sculpture Trust in Dorset and which opened in 2025. Materials were provided by the Weymouth and Portland Marine Litter Project. During a visit to the project she learnt that hundreds of families purchase beach toys for their children, then leave them on them beach at the end of the day. The litter project collects mountains of waste every evening: toys, fishing gear, detritus from cruise ships and more. Much of this waste is subsequently taken out to sea by the tides, creating vast islands of debris which roam the seas, strangling wildlife and breaking down into micro plastics that pollute our air, land and sea. The piece: 'All Washed Up?' aims to highlight the irresponsibility and asks us to confront the ensuing horror of our overloaded planet. This piece led to significant changes to her work: 'Used to the malleability of wire and cable, at first I found it hard going. Gradually, following weeks of experimentation I evolved ways to create with these new materials. This led to a new focus on found objects and the role these could play in a more direct comment on our contemporary lifestyle's destruction of our own habitat. Our everyday decisions have a lasting impact on the state of the planet.'
An on going series of three dimensional drawings, made with cut up recycled materials, wire and cable. Using simple threading processes, dotted lines evolve into forms which hang on a wall, a plinth or shimmer in space. These can stand individually or combined with others to create large scale installations, adapted to work with architectural features of a space. taking up, once again the environmental theme. They can be shown in a variety of situations: a fire place, wrought iron railings or suspended from the ceiling, combined with found objects (final image) and tapping into the ideas raised by the Portland piece.
The 2025 piece: 'All Washed Up?' inspired a new approach and new ideas. Using leftover beach debris from the project, the 'Objects and Energy' series explores the relationship between discarded waste and the energy of the natural world in these wall pieces. The visual stabiliser provided by a collection of grids found locally. The grids catch the floating objects an anchor them in space while alluding to the trap we have created for humanity. Ignoring our impact on our planet: our instant fulfilment of wants and needs overrides our long-term survival, and we fail to understand its mighty impact. A subtle comment on our way of life.
Continuing the 'Object and Energy' series, these pieces combine a variety of found objects: a computer part (first three images); an old bed spring; a broken comb (shown 'That Playful Place' , Ken Artspace, London, 2023); an abandoned display frame, with constructed pieces. The hand made three dimensional drawings entwined, wound or threaded through the object, describe the nature of unseen energies of the natural world and allude to the clash with man-made debris so often observed on beaches, verges, parks and gardens.
This series continues the 'Object and Energy' series. Alluding to earlier drawings of murmuration's, they encapsulate the way the natural forces of nature continue on their paths regardless of what the human race inflicts on them. Here, Deborah has combined individual collected objects with three dimensional drawing made with black annealed wire, swirling around the object as the sea gushes around abandoned beach toys, birds swoop around in the polluted air, the wind blows regardless of what it carries with it. We may end up destroying human life on earth, but the earth will carry on turning, living its life, moving through time and space - we just might not be going with it. Once again these can be shown as individual pieces or combined to create larges scale installations. Second image shown: 'The Temporary Nature of Change', MOCA, London, 2021, with Mikey Cuddihy.