Keith Banks
2026
Driftwood, acrylic, natural beach stone, rusted iron and smoked mirror
86 × 59 cm
Sub Surface is part of the Lost Meridian series, an ongoing body of work that explores the possibility of an unknown civilisation whose relationship with the natural world has long been forgotten.
The work imagines a hidden network of ancient instruments positioned between the cosmos and the oceans—objects that appear to receive celestial signals before transmitting them into the sea. The circular iron form suggests a receiver or celestial marker, while the smoked mirror hints at unseen depths beyond the visible surface. Driftwood, shaped by years of tides and weather, carries the memory of the coastline, while the natural beach stone forms a quiet focal point, suggesting a point of communication or calibration.
Rather than offering answers, Sub Surface invites speculation. Is it an archaeological fragment? A navigational device? Or evidence of a civilisation that once sought to communicate not with humanity, but with the creatures of the sea—sending messages into the depths and waiting for a response from another intelligence?
The work deliberately exists between mythology, archaeology and science fiction. Familiar materials become relics of an imagined past, encouraging the viewer to question where history ends and imagination begins.
Driftwood
Acrylic
Natural beach stone
Rusted iron
Smoked mirror
86 × 59 cm
Original mixed-media artwork.
Available by enquiry.
Keith Banks
2026
Driftwood, acrylic, natural beach stone, rusted iron and smoked mirror
86 × 59 cm
Sub Surface is part of the Lost Meridian series, an ongoing body of work that explores the possibility of an unknown civilisation whose relationship with the natural world has long been forgotten.
The work imagines a hidden network of ancient instruments positioned between the cosmos and the oceans—objects that appear to receive celestial signals before transmitting them into the sea. The circular iron form suggests a receiver or celestial marker, while the smoked mirror hints at unseen depths beyond the visible surface. Driftwood, shaped by years of tides and weather, carries the memory of the coastline, while the natural beach stone forms a quiet focal point, suggesting a point of communication or calibration.
Rather than offering answers, Sub Surface invites speculation. Is it an archaeological fragment? A navigational device? Or evidence of a civilisation that once sought to communicate not with humanity, but with the creatures of the sea—sending messages into the depths and waiting for a response from another intelligence?
The work deliberately exists between mythology, archaeology and science fiction. Familiar materials become relics of an imagined past, encouraging the viewer to question where history ends and imagination begins.
Driftwood
Acrylic
Natural beach stone
Rusted iron
Smoked mirror
86 × 59 cm
Original mixed-media artwork.
Available by enquiry.
