Mark Revels, Biofilm under constructions, 2015. Ceramic and concrete, 68 x 310 x 160 cm.

Mark Revels

Banbridge, Northern Ireland

F.E. McWilliam Gallery

Mark Revels is a young Irish artist who initially trained in London as a set designer, a disciplined grounding that he brings to bear on his relatively recent career as a sculptor. His latest work, the ceramic and concrete Biofilm under Construction, was sited on the main paved pathway of the F.E. McWilliam Gallery’s sculpture garden, directly in front of the café windows. Described as “a fusion of art and science,” the installation used the same short, narrow bricks (in dull pink, gray, and yellow) as the path so that it appeared as though some new biological formation had suddenly burst its way through the pavement, rather in the manner that bracken will erupt through asphalt or Japanese knotweed will grow through concrete. The effect didn’t quite work, however, because the bricks, instead of being sunk at an angle to indicate upward thrust, simply sat atop the pavement.…see the entire review in the print version of March’s Sculpture magazine.