Marc Pascal

Australia | Total Awards: 2 | Total Score: 9

In his working processes, Pascal constantly experiments with techniques and materials, seeking not only an envisioned aesthetic effect, but also determining the practicality and durability of the objects. They are, after all, primarily intended for use. The first insight into the process and the evolution of the objects can be seen in the conceptual sketches. They have boldness and freedom, and are obviously used as ways of thinking. The drawing becomes exact when moved to the computer, used as a precision design and drawing tool. Delight is the key word in describing anything to do with Pascal’s practice. There is the delight he experiences in his own creativity and the realisation of his ideas. This is not unmixed with the usual frustrations of creation and manufacture, but such concerns fade when he starts to speak of his work. His speaking is never merely in words, but overflows into sound effect and gesture and an irresistible urge to touch the objects. It is from this delight and openness that his ability to experiment with form, materials, and techniques springs. And it is in this delight, infusing his work and communicating to the viewer, that the distillation of all the aspects of his originality lies. For Marc Pascal’s useful, practical domestic objects perform that most difficult of artistic statements: they depict and engender happiness in a way that is complex and profound.