Erica Seccombe

This work celebrates Robert’s passion for his tropical fish tanks, which were filled with
wonderful textured, coloured coral forms. Initially, I had all sorts of ideas for what this work
might become, but because of time constraints and my own limitations, it evolved differently
from what I first imagined. It has resulted in a wonderful moment of deep reflection and
reconnection to Robbie and the processes of making. While experimenting with my laser
cutter, printing different shapes, and struggling with glue sticking everywhere, I could hear
Robbie’s voice in my head saying, “What are you doing it like that for?” It made me laugh
and reminded me how much he loved to play. His sense of curiosity shaped the way he
moved through the world; he approached things with openness, experimentation, and a
genuine excitement for discovering how something might work differently. Rather than worrying about whether
the work was good enough or whether I might ruin it, I began to enjoy simply mucking
around with the beakers. I started thinking instead: this looks interesting, what else can I
do? I wondered why I never seem to have enough time to work this way, and I remembered
Robbie once saying to me too, how he felt he never had enough time to play. He was a great explorer of all
things, driven by a relentless curiosity. His coral tanks were another world in which he could
immerse himself, intricate, alive, constantly shifting and growing. In making this work, I
found myself reconnecting with that same spirit of play and curiosity that inspired him so
deeply and that, in turn, encouraged me to let go, experiment, and simply see where the process might lead.