About Tom
 
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It wasn't long before Dixon's sculptural objects began to get recognition and commissions and exhibitions followed. This rapid increase in demand required a more plentiful and reliable source of materials. He turned his attention to ready-made forms and technology to feed his increased interest in industrial techniques and batch production. He designed in sheet metal creating a much more minimalist product that was determined by the industrial technique used for production.
"I was fascinated by all the tools and equipment of my new found trade- the heavy oxy-acetylene bottles, the delicate brass gauges, the guillotines and plasma cutters, arc welders, tig and mig welders, the folders and pipe benders..each and every one of them opening a whole world of new shapes and structure.
The designs were increasingly governed by the latest piece of equipment that had captivated me or the latest component supplier I had dreamt up...plumbers supplies, industrial cookware shops, ventilation engineers all became my haunts.
The shapes I found at these suppliers defined the form of the objects I made; the folding, cutting and riveting that gave them structure also acted as surface decoration." |
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