Ripper Teeth in Action

This new commission from artist James Capper, Ripper Teeth in Action, formed the final phase of Modern Art Oxford's Art in Rose Hill programme. Inspired by the aesthetics and actions of large-scale construction machinery, Capper employed a set of 'ripper teeth' of his own design to work on sections of land around Rose Hill, Oxford. In a series of live performances throughout August of 2011, the artist attached these custom-built fittings to an excavator vehicle in order to explore their capacity for mark-making. Capper's activities respond to the regeneration of the neighbourhood, paralleling some of the earthmoving techniques already taking place in the area.