The notion of the universe being a complete system in which any mass or void is enveloped by the space around it is the starting point for Astley's work. This organized principle is indicative of the artist's technique, which involves filling bags and other vessels with wet concrete until gravity, weight, and moisture reconstitute the containers to produce imperfect, misshapen iterations of their original forms, then configuring these pieces into stacked wall sculptures. "Striped Groan" emphasizes linear interventions by encasing each concrete mass in a ticking striped fabric, playing with topographical connotations through a process Astley describes as 'drawing in space.'