The Prairie King is part of a larger body of work focusing on the concept of ‘Play’ as a vehicle for creativity. The German philosopher G.W Leibniz founded an Akademie of Playing in Hannover in 1700. He was convinced that scientific learning and real discovery comes out of playfulness. Maybe playing without rules or pressure is at the core of creativity and hence the process of making art/design.

The starting point of Prairie King was a collection of pressed steel rocking horses manufactured in the 1950’s and 1960’s by Mobo. The classical rocking horse in all its forms conjure fantasy and imagination for children, the wild west, the Lone Ranger and fairground rides.

The original painted rocking horses are given a totally different appearance and identity - highly chromed and reflective. They are no longer horizontal and suspended on springs but instead are now vertical and animated, dancing around 600 fairground bulbs, like moths around an exterior light. They have metamorphosed into magical unicorns with sheriff badges and punk like spikes.