In recent months, the simple shapes of traditional, handcrafted wooden toys have become the subject of sculptures created from toughened glass. Stout, knee-high figures of men, women and children are grouped together with their respective pets in a tableau of suggestive social commentary. The familiar shapes and the nostalgic titles Calvert applies trigger the deep recesses of memory and recall a time when life may have appeared simpler. Like a child constructs a scene with Lego®, Calvert carefully arranges various sets of social possibilities, questioning the broader cultural implications they each may present.
Alluring in its visual appeal and use of evocative materials, Calvert’s work unashamedly draws us in. Beneath the enticing surface lies an innate meaning, an inner life that whispers of another time, another place and another purpose.
from the catalogue essay by BRIONY DOWNES 2005