Beyond Dust

A home is constructed from ingenious materials that provide shelter, warmth, and security, but above all, it offers a sense of place, belonging, and comfort. When that environment is disrupted by extensions, repairs, or redevelopment, the experience can become emotionally challenging. Uncertainty, noise, unfamiliar faces, and the unavoidable intrusion into daily life can transform a familiar space into something temporarily unsettled.

Beyond Dust emerged from artist Robin’s experience of living through a home loft conversion. As the construction unfolded around her, feelings of instability and imbalance became a constant presence. In response, she began collecting discarded materials, overlooked fragments, and artefacts salvaged from the building process. Through documenting, arranging, balancing, and preserving these elements, she created a series of delicate still-life assemblages that reflect both the physical and emotional landscape of a home in transition.

The act of making these images became a form of refuge during a chaotic period. Construction materials, textures, found objects, and handwritten stories contributed by tradespeople come together to form layered visual narratives. These assemblages capture fleeting relationships between the family and the workers who briefly inhabited their daily lives, while also revealing an emotional connection to the inanimate materials that shape our homes.

Part document, part meditation, Beyond Dust explores how spaces under construction can alter our sense of stability and identity. The work records not only the transformation of a building, but also the intimate and often overlooked relationship we have with the places we call home.