Parasite belongs to a series of sculptural works exploring the relationship between different materials and the beauty arising from these unexpected connections. This timber is from a locally grown Pohutukawa tree removed to make way for an infill project. The discarded timber is re-purposed and preserved, using the Japanese tradition of Shou Sugi Ban. Handmade porcelain details seek to inhabit the dark and bare stem. Responding to our local cultural and natural context this cross- cultural mix of techniques, timber and knowledge, highlights possibilities of different elements coming together and their reliance on each other in forging new forms.