Rufus Finn

My work questions the value we give to animals and, more broadly, materials. I want to address the hypocrisy that exists surrounding animal consumption: many people eat meat and dairy yet don’t like confronting the reality of its production.  I have explored why similar materials are perceived differently, and when we make choices based on our morals versus our emotions. My piece is a wallet that, at first glance is appealing but with closer inspection reveals the human and animal qualities that commercial leather hides: imperfections, hair, variation, and pores. This was following making a ring made out of lamb bone from the butchers that spoke about similar things: we value jewellery as objects which serve the function of being precious, so I am making the waste made from meat production valuable. I want to demonstrate the respect that animals deserve by valuing more than just the meat they provide. Both products speak to other luxury materials: pigskin is similar to the smooth, uniform processed leather that we all have and use in our shoes, belts and wallets, while lamb bone draws comparisons with ivory. The goal of this project isn’t to tell people what to do, but start a conversation about our choices and morals.