My project began as a response to the folklore boxes that are in the Cabinet of Curiosities. I chose to respond to the folklore boxes because I have always been interested in mythology and folklore so this was a very personal project for me.
I was inspired by one folklore box in particular, which had a stone inside for healing and protection. This idea then evolved into a response to the seven deadly sins. With this in mind, I experimented with ideas and materials that I thought would work best for the project; for example, pewter, glass, wood and plastic. A lot of my inspiration has come from Grayson Perry and the Chapman Brothers as I aimed to develop a very naïve style to my work. I wanted to take a contemporary approach to the seven deadly sins, developing themes that could be classed as sins in today’s society. I have created a set of seven coins, as coins have two sides (like most sins). The seven deadly sins originate from the ancient Christian beliefs of pride, lust, gluttony, greed, wrath, envy and sloth. For my interpretation I have chosen to incorporate imagery on each coin reflecting each sin. These include cartoons or iconic symbols that my generation have grown up with, such as Road Runner (wrath), Sonic the hedgehog (sloth) and Ronald McDonald (gluttony).