A decade of inflation

A Decade of Inflation surveys the three-dimensional artworks created by Dr Braddon Snape over the last ten years, from his early experiments with the inflated steel process through different phases of development to his most recent work, which introduces light as an important new material.

Snape is a nationally recognised artist who specialises in three-dimensional art practice, including large-scale public artworks. Over the past 27 years, he has worked in sculpture, installation, video, and performance, creating conceptually rich works that reflect his sophisticated understanding of materials, media, and site.

The process of inflating steel is tense, dangerous, and exciting to experience. Snape forms his works by welding together thin sheets of steel to form enclosed pockets, which are then forcefully expanded with pressurised air. The objects buckle and crinkle as they take on their finished forms – at once familiar and strange.

Snape’s interactions with his forms are often performative, as he considers all aspects of the object’s materiality, its manipulation, and how it is to be situated in space. The process is a balance between control and chance that has been aptly described as ‘Action Sculpture’.

Image List:

Allusive Object in Red, Braddon Snape, 2020. Image © Stuart Marlin.

Allusive Object (Spiky Pod), Braddon Snape, 2021. Image © Braddon Snape.

Single Fold Hung n Strung, Braddon Snape, 2016. Image © Braddon Snape.