I like the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin for its curious central figure and their famously gaudy clothes, and I’ve tried to channel some of that troubling charm into an object that seems ‘pied’ or pieced together in its own way (as in the ‘piecework’ of patchwork quilts and clothing).
The stripes are my attempt to create visual interference in a similar sense to that harnessed in painting done on military vehicles and fairground rides - using pattern and rhythm to dazzle, deceive, confuse, mislead, or distract, just like the Piper’s own hypnotic musical act.
As much as the Piper is a counterpoint to the kind of entertainers who delight children at fêtes or on television, it seemed right to build on those pedagogical associations, repurposing odd bits of work from my degree with some circus-ish decoration and small paintings.
