Future Ruins is set in a dystopian world where human control over nature has been reversed, where we no longer have the power or means to pot or prune or poison our surroundings into easily manageable and commodifiable lots. Industrial structures that once stood and dominated the environment have been left to ruin and decay. In the absence of humankind, the very nature that we sought to subjugate is now reclaiming the minerals, structures and space back as its own.
Using stainless steel as the medium for both industry and nature, the artist seeks to further confound and confuse our role in these processes. The usually organic means of decay has been achieved by hand with industrial machines. The warped and beaten skin of limbs, which are set to devour the once industrial constructions, are themselves a product of similar industrial processes.
Future Ruins is a meditation on our place in nature and our relationship to the environment we seek to control, without ever fully seeking to comprehend either nature itself or the power it has over us.
The Albury-born, now Melbourne-based artist started his artistic journey in 2014 on a trip through Europe. Once back on Australian ground, Gittings was inspired to pursue his creative passion and began experimenting with many outlets before pursuing collectible design. His practice is centred around his knowledge of metal, particularly stainless steel and copper. Some pieces require meticulous planning and construction whilst others are deeply intuitive and require no previous plans or sketches. His work is a constantly evolving dialogue between artist and material.
