Towers of computer cables and accessories become works of art, reinforcing the potential to re-use the electrical, computer and mobile phone connections that modern society discards, in part designed by computer companies to have a limited life and with a cable for one device not connecting into another, often even from the same company.  Thus companies make huge profits from selling cables and accessories that cost less than £1 to produce for more than twenty times that, and vast amount of electrical accessories with precious metals end up going to landfill.

The annual London Art Fair has arrived at the Business Design Centre in Islington.  The galleries have changed slightly, with more European galleries this year.  Many of the works and the artists follow the theme of former years, but there is a subtle focus on sustainability, the reuse of materials and something about the modern world of censorship.

Outside the entrance, a female wire figure waves cheerily and keeps her eyes on the visitors to the Fair in anticipation of the works by an unknown artist showing censored letters from world politicians in which the censor has been at work to leave nothing sensible.  Beyel uses wine corks as the base structure for a beautiful woman in “Iron” and yz in “amazon – anonyme” draws portraits in ink on reclaimed wood.  Reflecting the difficulties of Cuban economics, Emmie van Biervliet creates a “Cuban Hotel” from a reclaimed door and other found materials and Clay Sinclair uses repentitive text for his work “You and Me”. Kyung Hwa Shon (winner of the 2015 SOLO Award) lays plaques of text on the floor, with missing gaps, exploring the relationship between a city and the imagination of its citizens,  Joachim Coacke, winner of the Art Projects Artist Award, challenges our throwaway society with towering sculptures of discarded computer cables and other accessories and Leslie Hilling uses antique wood, objects and piano parts for her elegant timber sculptures.

Perhaps the most incisive commentary on modern society is Shaun Doyle and Mally Mallinson’s bronze sculpture “Sumo Ergo Sum” (I shop, therefore I am).