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NEWS

Scoping out yesterday for tomorrow

aving decided that his corporate ceiling
Hhad been reached as managing direc-
tor of Scope Systems after nearly 12 years,
Troy Morrison has made the shift from
boardroom to shed to fulfill his ambitions in
the creative arts.
As Andre Smit, formerly chief operations
officer at Scope, settles into the managing
director’s position, Morrison’s pod will start
to expand with sculptures made up of re-
purposed old parts that were once used in
trains, planes, boats, cars and oddities.
Morrison’s style is marine-meets-steam-
punk – a genre of science fiction that incor-
porates technology and aesthetic designs
inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-
powered machinery – with creations crafted
in line with Fire and Time’s business mantra
of bringing back yesterday for tomorrow.
“Part of my frustration today is that I think
that we are losing a lot of the old school The Steampunk Whale, completed in 2016, measures 3.5m long, 1.8m tall, 2.8m wide and
skills and kids are handed everything at ei- weighs about 500kg
ther the end of a 3D printer or if you look
at something like the iPhone which is me- where he is currently happiest.
chanically perfect,” Morrison told Paydirt. “Through no other reason than I had had
“There is none of that human touch add- enough of being MD of a relatively big busi-
ed, so for me it is about trying to preserve ness here in town and I wanted to pursue
some old school bits and pieces, not in a creativity full time; I figured we don’t know
historian sense, but taking them and inter- how much time we have left and I wanted
preting them in my way which is to put them to give this a red hot crack,” Morrison said.
into sculptures.” “I have the passion to do something out-
An apprentice boiler maker/welder back side of corporate and that now becomes
in 1986, Morrison has the grounding to my purpose. I think one of the challenges
stoke his passion for creativity, with his ar- that I certainly see in a lot of people is that if
tistic flare catching on with long-time mates you haven’t found it, you should start look-
in the mining industry. ing for your purpose, whatever it may be.
While still a director/part owner of Scope, To have a creative purpose certainly cre-
Morrison remains connected with the min- ates a much nicer position from a stress Steampunk Seahorse in progress
ing industry, however, it is obvious to see point of view and it doesn’t have to be a for completion sometime this year is
full-time thing. I transitioned into this by do-
ing four days corporate work 1,800mm wide, 4,000mm tall, 2,300mm
and two days of arts. I have long and weighs around 1,000kg
been fortunate enough to
be able to afford to do what from places in the US and England.
I am doing, but ultimately However, most of the copper, brass and
you can do it and if you have mild steel Morrison collects to make his
something that you think you sculptures are found in scrap bins.
might be able to do then my “What I am trying to do is utilise the raw
coaching would be to have a materials from the mining industry because
crack.” I like the look and also the stuff that I recy-
Fire and Time was estab- cle; it’s repurposed into something that will
lished by Morrison in 2019 last forever,” he said.
and he hopes by the end of Morrison’s latest creation is a Steam-
this year to have created a punk Seahorse, which when completed,
destination, possibly in WA’s will stand an impressive 4m tall, 1.8m wide,
arts hotspot of Fremantle, 2.3m long and weigh 1,000kg.
where people can meet and While Fire and Time has captured marine
appreciate his art. life in such a unique way, don’t be surprised
Troy Morrison was integral in Scope Systems becoming Over the years Morrison to see the brand branch out into an e-bike
a leading business management software solution has sourced materials, some before too long.
specialist in the mining sector, but these days he is taking items are more than 100
his art to the world through Fire and Time years old, for his sculptures – Mark Andrews

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