Talisman

The Talisman series comprises carved glacial erratic stones transformed through the excavation of their interiors. Each work begins as a dense, weathered mass shaped by geological history and movement. The series was developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing on the historical function of talismans as objects of protection. Alen-Buckley removes the majority of the stone’s interior, leaving a delicate structural shell. The inner surfaces are carved, polished, and stippled using progressively finer jewellers’s paper, applying techniques typically reserved for precious stones. while the exterior is left largely untouched, retaining the patina formed through time and travel. Each work incorporates one or more apertures. Through these openings, light enters the stone, revealing its altered internal structure and drawing the viewer’s attention inward. The contrast between the worked interior and the raw exterior establishes a tension between concealment and exposure, transformation and endurance.