Tom Price’s artwork, Synthesis is the study of a dialogue between two contrasting materials – resin and tar – and their negotiation for space and identity when forced to become a single unified entity.
Petal-like cracks and fissures formed through careful manipulation of the catalysing process of the resin cluster and interact with amorphous invasive bodies of tar, which loom – apparently suspended in space. The tar initially appears densely black, almost light-absorbent, but upon closer inspection, a network of fine green vapour trails can be seen drifting from a surface partially melted by the exothermic reaction of the curing resin. As the tar heats it expands, searching for pathways within the resin and rushes to claim open fissures, creating wafer thin golden slivers of coral-like protuberances. The effects of the synthesis of these two disparate elements – one black and dense; the other clear and liquid – results in a riot of colour and explosive formations that engage on both a macro and micro level.
