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Billie Bond
Born 1965
Lives and works in Chelmsford, UK
www.billiebondart.com
Billie Bond’s sculptural narrative questions cultural and individual identity and explores infl uencing ideological factors.
Bond is Inspired by broken ancient artefacts from forgotten civilisations which, when displayed in contemporary
light, are often given new meaning.

Using this notion of ‘new meaning’ from display, and fragmentation as ‘loss’ or ‘destruction’ in a social context,
Bond tries to translate the identity of the everyday people around her, sometimes as a vehicle to express her
concerns of changing identity and social decline and the need for change. Detailed crafting of her work refl ects
an ethos of no gain without pain and supports the integrity of the subject often portrayed.

In Kintsugi Head 1 and Kintsugi Head 2, the 'scar' is evidence of a violent trauma. Recovering from the trauma of
grief takes time, recovery may never be quite complete: are we ever really the same again? This work portrays a
language of healing; a metaphor for a mental experience. An experience that could be seen as a foundation for
a new beginning.

The inspiration came from the ancient Japanese art of Kintsugi, where broken ceramics are repaired with lacquer
and gold powder making the object more precious than it was before. The process of making Kintsugi Head 1 and
2 followed these experiences from breaking through to piece-by-piece reconstruction.

A Link With The Past seeks to interrogate the viewer’s perception of ancient artefacts as displayed in museum
collections - the symbols of another epoch and civilisation, often fragmented in appearance and with an ideology
decayed by the passage of time. Using the notion of relics and a forgotten civilisation, the image of a contemporary
young, fi rst-time mother, is transposed onto the representation of an ancient Egyptian seated fi gure. Portrayed as
a deity, with an expression of quiet authority – worthy of worship – a ritual object as befi ts the carrier of new life. The
mosaic QR codes on the side panels offers the viewer online interaction through debate thus sharing the symbolism
of the piece instantly with others through digital social networking. The work questions the present phenomenon of
an ageing population of fi rst-time mothers being forced into the next decade of their life by cultural pressures, with
the choice of career aspiration and bio-technical family planning.
BILLIE BOND grew up in Essex where she still lives. An early career in nursing gave her an appreciation of human anatomy, which
she considers sensitively in her fi gurative representations. Bond gained a 1st Class Honours Degree in 3D Design & Craft followed
by a PGCE with Distinction in 2012 at Colchester School of Art. Her 20 years experience as a designer-maker includes designing
children’s furniture, interiors, interior decorating and painting murals. During her studies, Bond’s creative ideas were expressed in the
form of fi gurative sculpture. Her work, ‘A Portrait of Chelmsford’ is in the Chelmsford Museum collection. In 2009 Billie sculpted on the
4th Plinth in Trafalgar Square as part of Anthony Gormley’s ‘One & Other’. Billie has exhibited at The Sculpt Gallery, Essex, and has
sculptures in other private as well as public collections. She won the Pure Arts sculpture award 2013, with the winning piece ‘A Link
With the Past’ being exhibited in a curated space at the Saatchi Gallery, London as part of the Strarta art Fair Oct 2013.
Top right: Kintsugi Head 1, 2014, Stoneware, resin, gold leaf.
h: 33cm w: 22cm d: 20cm, Artist’s Collection.
Bottom right (detail): A Link With The Past (Diptych), 2011, Stoneware, silver inlay.
h: 68cm w: 23cm d: 42cm (each sculpture), Artist’s Collection.

Right middle: Kintsugi Head 2, 2014, Stoneware, resin, gold leaf.
h: 33cm w: 22cm d: 20cm, Artist’s Collection.
Right: A Portrait of Chelmsford, 2011, Plaster, wood, paint, ink.
h: 98cm w: 50cm d: 41cm, Chelmsford Museum Collection.
Next page bottom: Purity, Culture and Art (Triptych), 2010, plaster and other materials.
h: 44cm w: 50cm d: 50cm, Artist’s Collection.
Next page top: Put Your Hands in the Air, 2013, Stoneware, aluminium foil cans.
h: 23cm w: 87cm d: 22cm, Artist’s Collection.

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