Hypothesizing the future existence of an imaginary mineral, Felicity Hammond's digital collages investigate the environmental impact of heavy industrialization, and the abuse of raw materials.
The speculative narrative of Deposits does not stray very far from reality. The alienating aspect of her images originates in familiar elements. It arises from a continuous process of concealing and unveiling, deconstructing and reconstructing, eradicating and evoking. The fragmentary nature of the images disturbs us, yet we recognise it. It evokes the contradictions and complexities of a time where the conflict between industry and the environment is becoming increasingly intense, and the production of luxury goods increasingly impacts on our landscapes and lives.
"Sacrifice zones" is the name given to those geographical areas where environmental damage is now permanent. Between fiction and denunciation, Hammond shapes a narrative that reveals the marvellous as much as the perturbing of our society, where data mining, mining and material commercialisation intertwine in a seamless flow.
Deposits is a project developed by Felicity Hammond for Gallleriapiù as part of the collaboration program promoted by PhMuseum for PhMuseum Days 2023.
Felicity Hammond (United Kingdom, 1988) received an MA in Photography from the Royal College of Art in London and completed her PhD in Contemporary Art Research at Kingston University, UK. Combining photographic practice with large-scale installation, her work has been nominated for and received a number of awards, including the Lumen Art Prize (2018), FOAM Talent (2016), and the British Journal of Photography International Photography Award (winner, 2016). Hammond’s first solo exhibition took place at C / O Berlin in 2021, and her work has been in many group exhibitions including Centre for Visual Art Denver, CAFA Art Museum Beijing, Garage Rotterdam, Fotomuseum Winterthur, and Saatchi Gallery. Hammond’s first book, Property, was published in 2019 by Self Publish, Be Happy. She lives and works in London.