Artist research Sophie Ryder

 Sophie Ryder, Kneeling Mother and Baby, 2020. Bronze sculpture.

Detail showing embedded mobile phone and chain. Photograph by myself (2023).

Sophie Ryder, Ladyhare with Dog II, 2018. Bronze sculpture. Photograph by myself (2023)

Detail showing doll figure embedded within the sculpture surface. Photograph by myself (2023).

Sophie Ryder is a British sculptor best known for her large-scale sculptures made from materials such as wire, scrap metal, found objects and recycled materials. What I am most drawn to in her work is the way she combines different objects and materials to build forms that feel full of character and history. Rather than hiding the materials she uses, Ryder celebrates them, allowing each object to contribute to the story of the piece.

This particularly resonates with my own practice. In my baby clothes sculptures that I am planing to make. In my collection of baby things, I have found objects including dummies, bottles, baby shoes and toys. These objects are not simply decorative additions. They hold memories and act as visual reminders of a specific moment in time. Much like Ryder's sculptures, the materials themselves become part of the narrative.

I am interested in how ordinary objects can carry emotional significance long after they have served their original purpose. A dummy or a tiny shoe may seem insignificant to someone else, but for a parent they can instantly trigger memories and emotions. By incorporating these objects into my work, I am preserving fragments of childhood and creating pieces that speak about motherhood, memory and nostalgia.

Ryder's approach has encouraged me to think more deeply about the materials I use and how objects can hold personal histories. Her work reinforces the idea that materials are not just materials. They can become storytellers, carrying traces of people, experiences and moments that might otherwise be forgotten.