Page 24 - Landscape-Issue146

FEATURE

Bateman creates works of art using pebbles of different shapes, sizes and colours
LAND ARTIST’S

PASSION FOR PEBBLES

UK born Justin Bateman is a land artist and Fine Arts
lecturer who creates striking works of art using a variety

of pebbles. He works internationally and currently lives
in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Land artist Justin Bateman

ateman’s land art projects began in the forests of southern exchanging marble and oil paint for pebbles, using only a mobile
UK, when he started using organic materials to create abstract phone to document the outcomes. Many of the subjects are based
Bartworks. He progressed into more figurative work, using a on ‘high art’ yet to make a sand castle or a snowman is considered
‘pebble palette’ and ‘stonal values’, and describes this as a natural ‘low art’; Why? I also create originals, contemporary works that mimic
evolution. the style of Renaissance masters whilst including elements of a more
There are no uniform pebbles and this is what makes every mosaic autobiographical nature. I hope the work is accessible on many
unique. Historically there have been strict rules around mosaic levels - it’s an eclectic mix, linked together by threads of personal
practice; around 200 BC, random stone mosaics were replaced by experience and contextual play,” he says.
materials cut into a cubical or regular shape; in mosaic practice His subjects do not represent his spiritual beliefs, opinions or
this is called ‘tessera’. The most common material became marble, political persuasions; they are not about good or bad, right or wrong.
for its durability and gloss finish when polished. Bateman’s specific He presents a multitude of subjects which are simply a collection of
work returns to a more ancient practice, which he refers to as the characteristics and an opportunity to explore materiality in new ways.
sculptural equivalent of cave painting. “For example, you might see George Washington and think it is a
Most of his pebble work has been created in locations around political statement, but actually I am investigating a more personal
the UK, Indonesia and Thailand, with less than 10% of it preserved theme; the effect money might have on the composition of one’s
for private collectors and exhibitions. Once complete, the work character, or it may relate to world events, the crumbling dollar or
is photographed and then destroyed, a process that reflects the Mount Rushmore returning to its own disorder due to environmental
entropy of life as the stones return to their ‘innate disarray’. Although factors.”
the pebbles become pixels in a photograph, these slowly fade into He says he finds physiognomy fascinating and for this reason,
the ether, eventually becoming an unrecognisable collection of dots. includes a broad range of personalities in his work. Sometimes the
“Nothing is immune to erosion,” he states. stones can interlock in very satisfying ways, at other times it is like
Abandoning traditional mosaic practice with uniform mosaic tiles forcing a poorly made jigsaw puzzle together.
(tessera), the work is assembled directly on the ground; the stones If suitable stones present themselves, he will assess a subject’s
are not coloured or cut and retain their original form entirely. characteristics, relating these to the types of stone he might use and
His most recent pieces are originals but a number of his older simultaneously assessing the scale of stone and textural qualities
creations are derivatives of significant artworks. Previously these required. River stones are his favourite as their elliptical form has
artworks were shut behind walls in galleries and owned by the been refined over many years and could be a suitable allegory for
rich. “My work is about removing the barrier between art and the one’s journey through life. “Like pebbles in a stream, it is usually
hands of the people. That’s why I work in common environments, through collisional abrasion that we eventually come to honour the

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