"Requium for Red"
Industrial enamel on steel-1200 x 1600 mm
I made this mural several years ago when it was believed that the chemical Cadmium would no
longer be available for use in the ceramic colour industry. The restriction on Cadmium was to
prevent this poisonous chemical from entering the drinking water and the environment. Since
Cadmium is a most important component in the manufacture of ceramic reds and yellows, I feared
I would soon be unable to make enamels using these important colours.
In the composition for Requiem for Red, the two triangles represent pyramids, standard shapes to
commemorate loss. The sky is red to show the alteration of the atmosphere, and the clouds are
vapours which have caused this change. Under the pyramids runs the earth covered with red
grass, still of familiar form but forever changed.
