Over the past two years, I have become interested in producing monoprinted images of complex architectural interiors, both medieval and industrial, using a collagraphed matrix. This is a traditional form of image making, which may be traced back to European Christian iconography of the early twelfth century. Following a successful exhibition in 2000,

'Working Engine House' GBP 300

I have further developed my ideas and processes in new ways. Monoprinting is a versatile print making process ; a wide range of materials and textured surfaces can be used in the process, and it is thus suitable for a whole range of approaches: it can be sculptural, graphic or painterly. I have been particularly interested in the notion of buildings as places of both containment and viewing, so some of my images are based on sites that had, or still have, religious uses, orthodox or otherwise. Much of religion is structured around the process of seeing and being seen (to do the right thing), which corresponds with the eighteenth century concept of the Panopticon. Similarly, prisons function to contain both physically and spiritually, so I have also included aspects of this in my work. Through considering the changing function of space(s) through time, I have chosen to incorporate new and unexpected elements within representa tions of buildings that were originally created to serve a different purpose. Some of my influences have included the work of Giovanni Piranesi (eighteenth century) and Anselm Kieffer (twentieth century) whose content and techniques, both widely differing, have served as a basis from which to explore the way in which historical antecedents can be brought to bear on contemporary issues.

David Cope