‘Urban Code: Grid’ was featured in the group exhibition ‘Light Work’ with ZEST Arts Collective at Tower House, Southampton.

 

‘Urban Code: Grid’ is an interconnected floor-based installation made of cast concrete, fused thermoplastic, and cast aluminium. It is the second in the ‘Urban Code’ series, where sculptures reimagine the nuances of road markings, exploring the familiar geometric forms and colours that shape urban landscapes. Informed by my street photography, I investigate everything from flaws in double yellow lines to footprints in directional arrows, drawn to the imperfections, geometries, and colours that define the urban environment.

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These cast concrete pieces, decorated with thermoplastic paint, replicate the textures and shapes typically overlooked in city infrastructure. From preserved footprints to “accidental” street art created by flaws in road markings, the sculptures evoke a grid-like form that mirrors the structured coherence of cityscapes. Viewed from above, they hint at city boundaries; up close, they resemble patch repairs and irregular paving stones.

 

The ideas behind the piece reference the control and order enforced in industrial built-up areas, as well as the boundaries we are told to abide by. This control is often silent, only communicated through symbols and colours, yet universally understood. ‘Urban Code: Grid’ reimagines the language of road signage as sculptural art, accentuating the contours and textures of concrete. By transforming metropolitan street painting—ordinarily a tool for traffic organisation—into formal, aesthetic expressions, the work challenges the functionality of these materials and invites viewers to see everyday infrastructure through a new lens.