Laurence was born in South London in 1963. He now lives in Hastings on the south coast of England, with a studio in nearby St Leonards-on-Sea. He is an alumnus of Croydon College of Art London, Chelsea College of Art & Design London, the University of Brighton and the California Sculpture Academy.
Laurence assembles multiples of found objects (objets trouvés) to create sculptures that represent an archival celebration of vintage commercial and industrial design: model cars symbolise tokens of playtimes, cameras become troves of captured moments and golf clubs act as a proxy for countless victorious jaunts to the nineteenth hole. The era of these objects and our idiosyncratic reactions to them often induce a palpable sense of nostalgia. Via nostalgia the artist aims to further – in a modest way – the idea of upcycling.
The sculptures often have a lengthy gestation period, involving periods of research and epic sourcing quests, followed by the all-important assemblage arrangement itself. Laurence brings together design, detail, age, material, tone and colour to question function and context, using juxtaposition and repetition to mesmerise, to captivate, and so to engage.
The execution process is enabled by innovative technical solutions, a process Laurence refers to as Trucism, from the French truc (thingy), or ‘the essential thingy'. Laurence has no assistants, preferring to immerse himself fully in the creative endeavour, from inception to completion. Hence the rarity of his works: he typically creates just ten sculptures in a year.
COLLECTIONS:
The Salmon Collection, London
David Garfield Contemporary Works, NY USA
Avivson Collection, London
Petts-Davey, Sussex UK