plaster casting

2023: Carbonised

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This is another project for Studio 2, as part of my Master of Fine Art program. It consisted of a mournful, site-specific installation of charred cuttlebones, showing how a selected location informed a body of work. While continuing to memorialise endangered sea-life through cuttlebones, for this site specific project I entered the shadowy realm of museum storage the mausoleum of colonial trophies and taxidermy. Based on a dilapidated plan drawer this installation consisted of eight cuttlebones surrounded by pictorial labels, tags and flip books made from relief prints. The relief prints featured the contour lines of the cuttlebone.

This project was intended to create a mournful affect, with the charred cuttlebones symbolising the extreme consequence of global warming.

Photograph by Elizabeth Cole of Carbonised installation, close up of eight casts and tags, 2023. Casts made from high compression gypsum, painted with acrylic, with twine and tags from 250 gsm paper. Cast sizes variable, approx. 24 x 9 x 3.5 cm. 2023.
Photograph by Elizabeth Cole of revised configuration of the Carbonised installation, for a meeting with my supervisor, 2023.

 

Animal sculptures

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Art school is ending for the year, and assessment is in a few weeks. Hence I have been busy finishing work for sculpture class. One project has been based on the theme of animals. To select my animals I used the criteria of habitat  (land/sea/air), protective coating (feathers/fur/scale) and typical fate from interaction with humans (encage/entrap/mount). Three animals meet these criteria: sea dragons, owls and deer. Each is presented differently, subject to its own circumstances.

Sea dragons

In some cultures sea horses are eaten, either for culinary or medicinal purposes. This fate may yet befall the sea dragon, as the sea horse population diminishes.Hence I am presenting the sea dragon in a Chinese apothecary context.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Owls

Owls represent wisdom and learning in many cultures. For this work I am using owls to represent a reported episode in Chinese history where attempts were allegedly made to kill all the birds (due to concerns they ate the grain in fields) by making a ruckus and driving them into the sky. Unable to land due to the noise, many birds died. The work shows relief tiles embedded with bird skeletons, a jar of owl fragments, and a set of 4 birds rising from the tile, as a parliament of owls in ghostly white (are they real or are they spirits?). Two flesh coloured bird stand sentry duty.

 

Deer

Deer are either cute (think Bambi) or wall mounted. My work suggests a ‘deer in the head lights’ .

Relief tiles and the inspiration of Ishtar’s Gate

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One of our sculpting projects was to create a set of relief tiles, using clay to create the mould, and then cast the image in plaster. It was an interesting exercise, with the results shown below. The subtlety of all marks emerged in the tiles, from the buds on the tree branches to the most delicate shell image.

However I was even more interested when I came across a reference to the Ishtar Gate (the 8th gate of the inner city wall of Babylon). The facade of the Ishtar Gate featured huge relief tiles, in the shape of animals. Photos taken in the 1930s show the shapes clearly evident in the earth encrusted walls. The brilliant blue gate now resides in Berlin, at the Pergamon Museum. Segments of the relief tiles reside in many other museums.

So I have something inspirational to consider on my relief tile journey.

Update on plaster casting

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Further to my last post on creating a set of ‘heads’ using plaster with marble chips (25%), the heads have now dried and I have sanded them back. Here they are now, ready for painting!

 

Plaster casting fantastical animal heads

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Wow, today I had a blast making plaster casts of fantastical animal heads.

In sculpture class over the last few weeks we have been making plaster casts from clay moulds. It has been a great experience. A bit like the process of print making but in 3D. It is so much fun that I couldn’t wait to try out some more experiments.

So yesterday I got some materials from Barnes in Richmond (plaster powder, marble chips, latex and a silicon moulding kit). Today I made plaster casts at home, using plaster containing 25% marble chips. I was inspired by Ai Wei Wei’s Zodiac Head animal sculptures. It is challenging to think in reverse 3D. The initial examples are per the attached photos. These photos show the works fresh from the mould. I’m looking forward to the next stage in the process!