;improv.project.statement
Process: Working with bronze
Ever Since the first sheet of wax was bestowed upon my modelling driven fingers, I began conceptualizing and hand modelling a ribcage relevant to an abstract animal, this theme developed during the main focus of my last project. I would consume more than 67 hours of the popular fantasy drama series: Game of Thrones. Whilst subtly inspired by the fantastical design of the characters, world building and general interest, a birth of subsequently formed “beast-like” structures would emerge. Even following the completion of this heroic binge, I did not relent the spine building from the hardened, used wax. This specific wax was optimal, I would not have been able to create what is to come without its resilience to warmth and pressure. This careful sculpting journey is what drew me to advance onto the next level. Yes, initially obscured by the finalized to-be-casted material, I knew the young spines required a spirited sturdy stout (material). In this case factoring cutting, grinding, and finishing (petina) it was aluminum to excalibur (bronze). It was a necessity to learn the properties of bronze as it abnormally occurs in projects irrelevant to this course. It was for bronze that I had understood the genuine joy in hammering away to clink and chatter at the ceramic shell’s insides. Yet it is to my regret that I had overdone the shelling, the two extra dips made this task impossible at first. The pale, fleshy tones of the untreated bronze startled my ambitions, seeing this akin to brass I was fearful of this connotation unsuited to my dissimilar image of the bewildered dystopian. To my foolishness, after grazing the diamond tip cutter to the piece’s surface, a deep echoing mirage of rainbows (heat contact) transpired. To end the tale of my newfound allure to bronze shaping, the entire process of cutting, grinding and sanding was the perfect amount of time consuming, reminiscent of buttering toast. With aluminum, this was a defeat. The Liver of Sulfur, quite the unselfish title, smelled of my success as the deep, rich dark tones and hues it produced finalized my pieces. Titled ‘beasts’ after the repeated phrase of my discomfort: “what a beast” whilst hauling not only their colossal masses, but also their impractical (life-like) bodies jabbing into my thighs, having arms too long. From then it was called not out of spite, but their lingering noble figures. This project involves the creation of wearable darkened bronze-casted spines, designed to be worn on limbs such as the arms or legs, performing as a form of aesthetic ‘armor’. Capable of being worn as a second skin, ‘the beasts’ evoke this armor-like quality by symbolizing both protection, strength, and alert the transformation of a natural structure into an inorganic mechanical one. Basing off my primary influence, H.R. Giger’s biomechanical aesthetic is still evident in the new piece’s design. The sleek, otherworldly forms recall his dystopian creatures. Giger’s exploration of the xenomorphs as a site of shrilling grossness yet entangled with graced machines is mirrored in ‘the beasts’ as conceptual underpinnings. Just as Giger’s work often portrayed a merging of flesh and metal,’the beasts’ fuse these concepts, evoking a sense of alien yet familiar beauty. Yet I am approaching both scientific and mythological dystopian imagery. The wearable aspect of the piece extends this (possibilities of) metaphor, not just as armor but as an embodiment of resilience as the hefty weight of their appendables gently crush the wearer’s. This act of wearing ‘the beasts’ becomes a personal engagement with the artwork, aligning physical presence with the piece’s intimidating, symbolic nature. Again invoking a questioning by the viewer’s perception of (the body’s) natural limits, transforming it into a hybridized creation of both flesh, textile and bronze. The coldness of the waxed bronze against the soft, velvet-like fabric is an aesthetic decision hoping to emphasize the total difference between ‘them’ (rigid,) and a similar, yet fluid, texture (velvet). The initial constitution of the wearable notion was presented to me as the incident at the Atelier La Coulée caused naturally formed practical holes in the end of Large Beast’s ribbing. This had me envision them perched upon the shoulders of a fancied coat. Originally, I hoped to use fur, yet this material is inaccessible and this attachment method was calculated far beyond the timeline. Drawing inspiration from the armadillo’s skeletal structure, this piece reflects the dynamic anatomy and nature of organic forms. ‘The beasts’, hand modeled and casted in meticulously detailed bronze, acts as a fusion of biology and metalwork, inviting viewers to question the boundaries between the organic and the artificial, an ongoing dialogue between nature and technology/industry. The segmented, flexible nature of the armadillo’s body inspires the form of the spines, mimicked as ‘the beasts’ elegant resilience.
Finally, ‘the beasts’ had bound to my good friend’s leather boots, torn tights and red-violet velvet scarf. This modelling was not specified as a performance, but in the near future could present capability of being worn with movement. I chose a human specimen, and not a mannequin, as I wished to not only reassert the juxtaposition of true flesh and bronze (metal in general) but also for its personal essence, I wish to practice prop/costume design. Another important note is for the viewers to not associate this display as an imposition on femininity, ‘the beasts’ do not judge and gender of the bearer is not afflicted. My proudest accomplishment is the colors of her assemblage (outfit) to the finished patina’s brown-black tone, achieved with the lucky Liver of Sulfur. ‘The beasts’ as they appear to erupt from her poised calves and ankles are desperate to serve purpose in protective shackles, breaching the fabric beneath. The velvet scarf represents stoic bloodshed, this imagery is not forced upon the viewer, yet it wishes to create a melancholic-scape (dystopian). In the other modelling opportunities, ‘the beasts’ are instead acting as soothsayers rather than nuanced, flailing things. Yet the composition is still aesthetically valuable on her lower legs, ‘the beasts’ are highly versatile in attachment. Desperately in search of fur, my original vision was drastically changed, I desired for more naturalistic and animalistic symbolism to contrast the metallic frame of the inorganic ‘beasts’ (as obvious as that is).
The beasts loom on my bedside table, in my room. I am grateful to have met them.