‘Rat performs open heart surgery for 9 hours and saves my life’ 2021 first exhibited at @oigall_projects. For this work I had being looking at rats. Not only because I recently had my annual ratatouille screening but also because I’m curious about species that we designate as pests. Creatures caught up in the haven that is the wrong context. I had also recently been reading about native water rats overcoming their cane toad foes by the surgically precise deconstruction of the toad bodies to remove the non-toxic parts. I imagined a scene in which an incredibly talented and dedicated rat spent 9 hours scurrying around the theatre in an attempt to keep me alive. He succeeded and I’m eternally grateful.