Catherine Bertola

Scratching at the surface 2001 Found painted surface Dimensions variable Photo: Stephen Collins Commissioned by Locus+, Newcastle upon Tyne Budget: Fee £300, materials covered separately by commissioners Scratching at the surface was sited on the gable end of a building in Newcastle upon Tyne, within the surface were the remains of a solitary upstairs interior wall of a previously demolished building. The work was created by almost archaeologically scratching through the accumulated layers of paint to create an intricate wallpaper pattern that dated from when the interior was last a home. Through reintroducing decoration to this neglected deteriorating space I attempted to suggest how it may have appeared during its original habitation.