The Sweeping Brush (2026) is a kinetic sculpture that attempts to perform the simple domestic task of sweeping. A brush is fitted with motors, sensors, wires and electronic components, programmed to move through its environment and respond to obstacles.​

While making the work, I became increasingly aware of the disproportion between the simplicity of its intended task and the complexity required to make it function. A simple brush became a network of motors, wires, sensors and connections, all dependent on one another. If one connection failed, the whole system could stop working.​

The exposed wiring is deliberately left visible. Rather than concealing the technology inside the sculpture, I wanted its internal complexity to remain part of the work. The machine's fragility and dependence on its programming became a way of thinking about the complexity of human systems. We are all wired differently. We function differently, respond differently and have our own points of vulnerability.​

The work also considers the difference between following instructions and responding to situations. A programmed machine can perform a task according to the instructions it has been given, but it cannot necessarily understand what is happening around it. If a bowl of cereal is spilled on the floor, for example, a person sweeping can immediately recognise the situation, respond to it and adapt their actions accordingly. The machine can only respond within the limits of what it has been programmed to recognise.​

This raises a question about what is lost when we try to replace human activity with automated systems. A robot operates according to instructions. Care operates according to situations.​

The apparent simplicity of sweeping therefore conceals a much more complicated relationship between instruction, response, judgement and care.​