Emma Bridgman

Art and Psychology

My work primarily focuses on installation and sculpture to explore the relationship between natural systems and the build environment. My practise investigates processes of urban regrowth, looking at how organic forms adapt to, infiltrate and coexist with architectural structures. Using materials such as wire, copper and mesh, I create forms that reference roots, vines and skeletal leaf structures, often appearing to grow through or around existing spaces. Material transformation plays a central role in my work. I use processes such as oxidation and heat treatment to alter the surface of copper, allowing time, exposure, and chemical reaction to become active elements within the piece. These shifts in colour and texture reflect wider themes of change, resilience, and environmental response. My installations are often developed in direct relation to specific sites, responding to features such as pipes, corners, and structural frameworks. By integrating with these elements, I aim to challenge fixed boundaries between the natural and the constructed. My work draws attention to subtle moments of interaction between nature and urban space, positioning growth not as a force of opposition, but as something gradual, persistent, and embedded within the structures it inhabits.

Encroach, copper wire and mesh, 2026

Reading School of Art