Still Life at High Speed

Was there anything quite so stupid and time-wasting as the 1980s metal detector - the all but obsolete device that had gold diggers scouring beaches and suburban dumps for treasure? You can find yourself asking such questions with the work of Australian sculptor Ricky Swallow. And in the case of Diagonal Choir, 2000, his full-scale replica of a metal detector, made from PVC and epoxy and sprayed a ghostly white, you could ask: has anything as purposeful and beautifully crafted been shown in a gallery recently? Swallow, 29, is fascinated by the objects contemporary culture spits out. So when you find...