James Shaw
Blob With Polished Tube, 2023
- Medium
- Recycled polypropylene, stainless steel and lighting components
- Dimensions
- 28 x 37 x 35 cm
Joseph Clark Collection · JCC-0028
About the work
Recycled polypropylene and polished stainless steel meet in a lighting object that makes their differences part of its appeal. An irregular plastic mass contrasts with the smooth tube, while illumination brings function into the sculptural encounter. James Shaw treats discarded plastic as a material with expressive possibilities, giving new presence to a substance often valued only for its convenience.
About the artist
James Shaw is a British designer and maker whose work questions how materials acquire value and how objects are produced. A Royal College of Art graduate, he works across furniture, lighting and smaller domestic objects, using hands-on experimentation to challenge the distinction between useful resources and waste.
His Plastic Baroque works are made with specially developed extrusion tools that melt and shape recycled plastic. The process produces irregular, coloured strands and masses whose visible handwork contrasts with plastic’s usual association with standardised industrial manufacture. Chairs, lamps, handles and tableware become occasions to reconsider both the appearance and the lifespan of a familiar material.
Shaw also combines wood, metal and plastic, and collaborated with Marjan van Aubel on the Well Proven Chair, using waste wood shavings and bio-resin. His practice extends into exhibitions and research projects, including the PlasticScene exhibition co-curated with Laura Housley in 2018. His work is represented in permanent collections including MoMA, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and Design Museum Gent.