Medal, Ron Dutton, England, 1990

Dutton’s medals often consider themes of nature and the environment. In The Desperate Flowering , the artist depicts a natural scene on the obverse side that is inspired by his garden in Wolverhampton. The reverse shows an imprint of a crushed can. This work forms part of a series of medals made in the early 1990s.

Of the series, Dutton explains, ‘The images reflect the devastating and mutative destructive forces that mankind can and does engineer. Contrasted with these are the beauty of flowers, surrounded by elements of insect and landscape forms.’ Using this imagery, Dutton looks to express the threat of environmental damage posed by humanity’s actions. Taken as a whole, the series expresses the urgency of this issue through the visual contrast experienced with each medal.

Dutton writes, ‘The obverses and reverses were intended as a reminder that vigilance was needed on all our parts to protect that which we hold dear, and my hope is that the medal can perhaps play a role in such concerns.’ Many of Dutton’s works speak to his concern for the environment, another clear example in the V&A’s collection being The Choice is Ours A.8-2024. A biface, circular, cast bronze medal, showing a flower blooming & insects; reverse shows a tin

Given by Ron Dutton in 2024.