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Mils Bridgewater

close up image of twigs intertwined with dried chicken bones and bones made of white and black porcelain.

close up image of twigs intertwined with dried chicken bones and bones made of white and black porcelain.

pile of cardboard boxes act as plinths to glass bubble wrap pieces adn glass filled ball of wire restricted glass

pile of cardboard boxes act as plinths to glass bubble wrap pieces adn glass filled ball of wire restricted glass

Don't just stand there!

Piles of cardboard boxes in the middle of a room supporting objects in glass

Piles of cardboard boxes in the middle of a room supporting objects in glass

Don't just stand there!

a woman in blue trousers reaches across a pile of cardboard boxes that are plinths to various works in glass

a woman in blue trousers reaches across a pile of cardboard boxes that are plinths to various works in glass

Don't just stand there!

Don't just stand there!

Don't just stand there!

Don't just stand there!

Why is an inanimate object given more value than a sentient being?

One is encased in bubble wrap, packing peanuts, an oversized cardboard box; the other in overcrowded metal cages, extreme temperatures, no food or water.

I have titled the piece ‘Don’t just stand there’. Those who know the saying will ask themselves what it is they have to do. This work is designed to change us, to wake us up and look at the world differently. I am seeking to interrogate a narrative that has been taken for granted.

“Protest is a dialogue, and so the power of protest rests not just in the physical objects, but in the thoughts and conversations they provoke.” Aindrea Emelife.

While studying at the RCA I walked over the river Thames past a statue of the painter Whistler. The colour pallet within this work is inspired by the ever changing greys and browns of this great river and the whites and muted colours, often with a splash of dramatic pink or red of Whistlers beautiful paintings.

In Collaboration with:

Sylvain Deleu Photography

London based photographer who took photographs of 'Don't just stand there!' in the exhibition space.

Medium:

Mixed media

Size:

190 x 190 x 155cm

Bronze Ethics (human)Experimental Glass Material Narratives Narration / Storytelling Packaging Protest Sculpture Value Waste

close up of overlapping glass bones in clear and red glass

close up of overlapping glass bones in clear and red glass

Don't just stand there! - detail of fragile

detail of white foam glass packing peanuts and corner of bubble wrap box with upside-down fragile packing tape

detail of white foam glass packing peanuts and corner of bubble wrap box with upside-down fragile packing tape

Don't just stand there! - detail of fragile

2 clear boxes with red and white fragile tape, 1 box is full of foamed glass packing peanuts, the other clear glass bones

2 clear boxes with red and white fragile tape, 1 box is full of foamed glass packing peanuts, the other clear glass bones

Don't just stand there! - fragile

a glass box with fragile in red tape containing glass bones sits on a cardboard box. a globe is visible behind

a glass box with fragile in red tape containing glass bones sits on a cardboard box. a globe is visible behind

Don't just stand there! - detail

box of coloured bones

box of coloured bones

Dom't just stand there! - detail

I experimented with glass powders, mixing them with bicarbonate of soda to create weightless glass packing peanuts. This process results in a high percentage of failure as they are so fragile. They are displayed in the original bubblewrap box I found in the rubbish my first week at the RCA.This protective box went on to be the inspiration for the glass and bronze boxes I was to make. The glass bones are made from waste furnace glass.

In Collaboration with:

London based photographer who took pictures of my work in the exhibition space.

Medium:

Foamed glass, furnace glass, bullseye glass, bubblewrap, packing tape

Size:

27 x 22 x 15cm

Ethics (human)Experimental Glass Material Narratives Narration / Storytelling

a mix of glass bubble wrap and real bubble wrap on cardboard boxes

a mix of glass bubble wrap and real bubble wrap on cardboard boxes

Don't just stand there! - detail

gold plated bronze bubble wrap sits on the edge of a cardboard box

gold plated bronze bubble wrap sits on the edge of a cardboard box

Don't just stand there! - detail - bronze and gold

undulating clear glass bubblewrap, detail of edge

undulating clear glass bubblewrap, detail of edge

Don't just stand there! - bubble wrap

undulating clear glass bubble wrap on a card board box

undulating clear glass bubble wrap on a card board box

Don't just stand there! - small bubble wrap

Bubble wrap is designed to protect, often used in excess and then thrown away. Glass bubble wrap is immensely fragile, sharp and completely useless for protection of any kind. It gives a nod to the vulnerability of life while speaking of the disparity in what we value.

In Collaboration with:

London based photographer who took pictures of my work in the exhibition space.

Medium:

Gaffer glass, packaging, bronze, gold plate

Ethics (human)Glass Narration / Storytelling Packaging Waste

glass orb constricted by wire, the glass bulges through the frame, filled with animal fur sits atop undulating glass bubble wrap

glass orb constricted by wire, the glass bulges through the frame, filled with animal fur sits atop undulating glass bubble wrap

Don't just stand there! - the price of packaging life

fur escapes from a horizontal glass vessel that is bound in copper mesh

fur escapes from a horizontal glass vessel that is bound in copper mesh

Don't just stand there! - preston

wire constricts a glass orb, the glass bulges between the wire and the orb is filled with bones, it sits atop two disks of glass

wire constricts a glass orb, the glass bulges between the wire and the orb is filled with bones, it sits atop two disks of glass

Don't just stand there! - bones

wire constricts a glass orb, the glass bulges between wire, the orb is filled with feathers, it sits atop two disks of glass

wire constricts a glass orb, the glass bulges between wire, the orb is filled with feathers, it sits atop two disks of glass

Don't just stand there! - feathers

an orb of glass constricted by wire cage is filled with grey feathers and sits on two circles of glass

an orb of glass constricted by wire cage is filled with grey feathers and sits on two circles of glass

Don't just stand there! - detail

Blown glass vessels constricted and bound by wire contain the fur, bones and feathers of live stock. They speak of the cruelty endured by farmed animals transported for fattening and slaughter.

In Collaboration with:

London based photographer who took photographs of my work in the exhibition space.

Medium:

Glass, copper wire, fur, bones, feathers

Ethics (non-human)Glass Narration / Storytelling Sculpture

twigs, bones and bones made of black and white porcelain all intertwined, glass nest nestles in the middle

twigs, bones and bones made of black and white porcelain all intertwined, glass nest nestles in the middle

All Things will Die

All Things will Die

All Things will Die

All Things will Die

empty glass nest surrounded by intertwining twigs, bones and black and white porcelain bones

empty glass nest surrounded by intertwining twigs, bones and black and white porcelain bones

All Things will Die

close up of twigs, bones and bones made of black and white porcelain all intertwined

close up of twigs, bones and bones made of black and white porcelain all intertwined

All Things will Die

“All things will die” after the poem by Alfred Tennyson tells the story of the £3 chicken grown in mega farms that pollute local rivers, killing the bugs and then the birds that feed on the bugs.

Protest art engages with the plight of our time.

“Art is a lie that make us realise the truth.” Pablo Picasso .

In Collaboration with:

London based photographer who took pictures of 'All Things will Die' in the exhibition space.

PDF: Chickens - a memoir

Medium:

Bullseye glass, porcelain, twigs, bones

Size:

41 x 41 x 92 cm

ceramics Glass Narration / Storytelling Nature Protest Sculpture Value

Born and raised in rural England, I now live and work in London. I completed a BA in fine art at City and Guilds London Art School - and it was here that I fell in love with glass. During my MA at the Royal College of Art, I seized the opportunity to explore the practical aspects of working with this extraordinary, beautiful and changeling material.

My work traces issues of ecology, pollution, waste, tenderness, value, animal husbandry and duplicity, often stemming from personal memories and experience that morph into social political works.

Recipient of the Pilchuck Scholarship in Glass and the Knostfack Anglo-Swedish Exchange in the Show Scholarship section. Runner up in the Tin Project, Worshipful Company of Tin Platers and Wire Workers.

black and white image of a white woman, brown shoulder length hair, open shirt and dark jeans, looking directly at the camera

black and white image of a white woman, brown shoulder length hair, open shirt and dark jeans, looking directly at the camera

Why is an inanimate object given more value than a sentient being?

I am currently investigating the disparity between transportation of livestock for fattening and slaughter and the transportation of inanimate objects for consumer pleasure. One is encased in bubble wrap, packing peanuts, an oversized cardboard box; the other in overcrowded metal cages, extreme temperatures, no food or water.

Inspired by a youth spent in a remote rural English environment, populated by domesticated animals, my work tackles subjects of ecology, pollution, waste, tenderness, value, animal husbandry and duplicity.

Glass, with all its beauty and light is vulnerable and dangerous; like humans, its nature is duplicitous. I find the slow process of glass casting enables me to meditate on the animals, honouring them with each cast bone, each foamed glass packing peanut. To work with cast and blown glass takes time, planning and huge environmental resources, and I am conscious of the impact my making has on the environment. By highlighting the three largest environmentally damaging aspects of the Anthropocene age – farming, packaging and waste – I hope to alleviate my guilt while telling, through my art, this story of disparity which is important to me and the world we live in.

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Royal College of Art

Registered Office: Royal College of Art,
Kensington Gore, South Kensington,
London SW7 2EU