Part five: Developing sculpture and imagination

1.‘The trained eye’  W.40cm x H.30cm. Plaster/plastic

 

 

   

 

2. ‘A convenience of toxicity’ Porcelain/paper

  

 

 

 

 

   

3. ‘Hardcore pacifier’ H. 40 cm. Plaster/granite

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

4. ‘The armed wing of my unilateral consciousness?’ H. 80 cm. Plaster/plastic

 

  

   

   

5. ‘Dolly suite pipe dreams’ H. 65 cm. Plaster/plastic

 

   

   

      

      

 

 

‘The trained eye’

I wanted to combine two previous exercises by using a mix of plaster and found objects. This bas-relief was made using the same wood frame used to produce several earlier plaques. I still used clay for the base of the framework. This was invaluable as a sealant for the liquid plaster. I filled the frame to approximately 25 mm in depth. I part submerged several toy trains into the plaster adding a cut down a pair of cheap reading glasses. I like the idea of re-appropriating discarded items in much the same way as Scottish artist Eduardo Paolozzi. As an exponent of pop art, Paolozzi once remarked that he sometimes felt like ‘a wizard in Toytown. His work had been heavily influenced by the works of Jean Arp, Georges Braque and Fernand Leger. It is clear to see that Picasso had exerted an influence upon Paolozzi’s bas-relief work.

‘A convenience of toxicity’

For my second sculpture, I retrieved an old WC from a builder’s skip. Talk about suffering for your art. I removed the cistern and pan. I jet washed all blemishes left behind from many years use. I had the idea of covering the porcelain with negative newspaper headline cuttings. I saw it as a way of expressing and signifying my disdain for the Daily Mail newspaper. You have toilet humor so why not toilet art? I drew influence from Hannah Hoch, John Heartfield and Peter Kennard with political art being at the centre of their endeavours. I felt that I’d strayed from the assignment remit, however, I had used found objects and it was a process using scissors, glue and a jet washer. It was a laborious task. Keeping the text visible meant strategically placing each cut piece. This grew more difficult as I approached the finish. I had considered naming the piece ‘Would the real anti Semite please stand up’ referencing former Mail owner Lord Rothermere’s friendship with Hitler and Mussolini. Still owned by the Rothermere family, the paper has consistently attacked Jeremy Corbyn for alleged anti-Semitism. As Heartfield succinctly put it, ‘Whoever reads bourgeois newspapers becomes blind and deaf’. A big ‘thank you’ must go to Billy Bragg for his kind permission to use ‘It says here’ as the soundtrack to my video of this piece.

‘Hardcore pacifier’

For this, my third sculpture, I decided to return to the same methods I chose to create ‘Biomorphia’ in Project 8: Part four. This time I thought I’d try using glass for a mould. I knew I might damage the piece upon release so I heated the glass and scored it with a glass cutter. This seemed to do the trick although I still had to exercise great care. Thinking back to Biomorphia, I elected to place the aluminium joining tube into the wet plaster. This would save drilling at a later stage. I incorporated granite sand into the plaster to give more weight and a feeling of unyielding endurance. Photographic imagery does little to reveal the actual physical quality of the piece. I used my thumb and forefinger to create the hole in the middle section. Using rolled-up course sandpaper I managed to enlarge the hole before the piece set too hard. The base was made using a rubble bag as a mould. The semi sphere was created using a plastic Christmas pudding bowl. Like ‘Biomorphia’ the inspiration for this piece was drawn from the works of Jean Arp, Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore. I wanted to create a blend of organic ruggedness and uniformity that would somehow work together in harmony. This was to embody my thoughts on how opposites might work together for a common cause. I’ve still not worked out what the common cause is. The work is totemic and is reminiscent of ancient stone cairns.

‘The armed wing of my unilateral consciousness’

I started on my fourth sculpture with the idea of using ventilation ducting as a mould for plaster. After some reflection, I decided the weight would be too much for what I had in mind. I intended to create a concertinaed arm that would appear to emerge ethereally from a solid wall. I settled on using plaster infused jute to create a semi-hollow cast. I wrapped the ducting with the jute scrim and further soaked with liquid plaster. Upon setting hard, I stuffed newspaper and then clay into each end leaving about a 10 cm cavity. I then filled one cavity with plaster and partially submerged a charity shop-bought porcelain hand. The opposite cavity was filled solid to serve as an anchor for a flush wall fixing bracket. I am fascinated by the work of surrealist Dorothea Tanning. ‘Hotel du Pavot, Chambre 202’ (1970-73) was a particular inspiration for my wall art. Tanning took Freud’s psychoanalysis and objectified it in a fashion that continues to influence artists. Sarah Lucas and Louise Bourgeois are among notable devotees.

‘Dolly suite pipe dream’

For my final sculpture, I decided to revisit my local charity shops in pursuit of some toy dolls. I am intrigued by the work of Australian artist Freya Jobbins. Captivated not just by her methods and motivation but by her backstory. She uses her art to help deal with a harrowing accident that left her facially disfigured. She has a predilection for dolls and finds their reassuring universal appeal useful. She uses the dolls to create symmetrical sculptures that shock. Jobbins somehow manages to create a fusion between hideously weird and overwhelming inelegance. I am inspired by her commitment to the use of recycled plastics in the pursuit of sustainable art. Recalling my research into Freud’s ‘The uncanny’ I wanted to create a piece that combined Jobbins ethos with compelling discomfort. Whilst noting the remarks of friends and relatives, I think I may have achieved this.

Drawings

  

    

     

     

Rorschach Drawings