Martin Lyttle's recent work takes the cornucopia as both subject and organising principle. Rather than depicting the classical horn of plenty directly, the exhibition assembles a constellation of forms traditionally associated with abundance: seeds, nuts, fruits, pods and spices. Carved in limestone, these familiar organic forms are translated into a material whose geological timescale far exceeds that of the living things it represents.
A former engineering geologist, Lyttle approaches stone with an unusual awareness of its history and formation. His sculptures draw attention to the tension between biological and geological time, between transient forms and enduring material. Apples, pears, coffee beans, nutmeg and acorns are rendered with close attention to their individual character while remaining open to wider cultural and historical readings.
Several works engage indirectly with the histories of trade, extraction and global exchange embedded within everyday commodities. Coffee, nutmeg and other plant forms appear not as illustrations of these histories but as points of departure from which broader associations may emerge. Rather than explaining these histories directly, Lyttle returns repeatedly to a small group of forms, allowing their cultural, historical and symbolic associations to emerge gradually.
Lyttle works primarily with locally sourced stone and quarry offcuts. The character of each piece is influenced not only by the subject being carved but also by the qualities and limitations of the stone itself. The resulting sculptures occupy a space between observation and reflection, drawing together geology, ecology and material culture through a sustained engagement with stone.