‘I have, over a number of years, been interested in exploring the problem of giving tangible expression to imaginative forms which arise from an ongoing preoccupation with the juxtapositions of “architectural” structures and the “natural” organic substrate which is the earth’s surface.  These deliberations may be seen as both a metaphor for concerns about conservational issues and also an acknowledgement of natural entropic processes.’

Hitchings pieces were informed and inspired by the natural world, geological features, coastal environments, and time. He also examined these forces through the lens of humanity - how do we translate our understanding of geology into built structures, how do we navigate oceans and how do we perceive time?

Underpinning all of Hitchings’ work is the grid. In a purely formal and minimalist way grids, with some diagonal variations, were fundamental framework from which Hitchings could endlessly extrapolate.

The late Gavin Hitchings was a jeweller, sculptor and former design lecturer at Nelson Polytechnic, School of Visual Arts. Hitchings work has always been concerned with meaning, process and exploration.