Now the end is near....

This week I've been working on several different pieces.  The largest by far is a five foot bamboo figure which has become the bane of my life.  Besides having my hands and arms shredded for the past week, I am now in need of a pair of goggles!!  I have also been working with paper clay, learning how it is made (although i did cheat) and how I can store and fire it.  I'm hoping that the piece I made will be strong enough to last the firing process as it is extremely thin. It should be out in time for Mon so will update blog with details.

Playing with shadows

Going to be a Gormley inspired figure



The start of a 3d shadow



Porcelain paperclay template

The first of 18 pieces, ready to be fired.

More of the paperclay pieces in different sizes

Staying in the shadows...

Today I completed my invisible people stencil and played around with shadows.  I had previously made a smaller version and I was really hoping that I wouldn't loose the tunnel like quality by going large.  I made this stencil from card (A2 in size) because it was cheaper than going directly into wood only to find that it wasn't successful.  Luckily enough none of the qualities about this piece changed dramatically during its resize so I feel confident that an even larger piece made from wood would be equally successful.  I have also decided to create this piece from Porcelain Paper Clay as I feel that the constancy of standard college buff would be insufficient in relating the image.  The paper clay should ensure that the individual pieces will be as thin as is needed to make this project work.  

Antony Gormley

http://glimpseofstyle.blogspot.com/2009/08/sculpture-antony-gormley.html

Love...

http://www.editioncopenhagen.com/default.asp?Action=Details&Item=378 My favourite artist

Melting....

dissolving....

As cold as ice .....

Frozen min men eventually emerged from their hibernation in the deep freeze and began their arduous journey into the unknown (or in non flowery terms, I took them out of the freezer and melted them).  I previously waxed some watercolour paper, leaving only a small section in front of each figure clear.  I hoped that the ink used would adhere to only this section and in theory leave only an imprint of the disappeared figure (a shadow or an essence).
I failed to take into account that the figures would take an age to melt using a heat gun so I gave up on the video idea after realising that a feature film based on ice melting would bore anyone to tears.  So I reverted back to the camera and took photographs of the different stages of transformation.
The images I recorded were a surprise of sorts as I didn't expect the colours to be so vibrant or so different.  As the figures melted, the different inks intermingled on the paper to create an almost abstract infusion of colour which brings to mind cubist art.  I also found that the space between the figures stayed void of colour and actually began to form the shape of a human figure (and no before you ask, I don't see Jesus in teacups!), Im hoping to upload the photos over the weekend so you can judge for yourself.

Disappearing...

Now that I know the direction that I want my work to go in I'm investigating the process of actually disappearing and trying to discover how a person like me can wither away until all that is left is their shadow.   I started using my 2min men (2inch ceramic figures) as a tool so I could see if it was physically possible to make them blend into the background.  With the help of Pat (technician) I created a silicone mould which I then filled with Plaster. Although the plaster was easy to use, and the colour was good, the overall procedure wasn't successful as my 2min men kept loosing their heads.  The next thing I tried was hot wax, this was much easier to use although I did have to tape the sides of the mould to stop the wax from flowing out.  These figures were much more successful and the transparency against a white page was much better.  Finally I filled the mould with resin in the hope that the 2min men would be transparent enough to blend into any background.  Again this was successful to a degree, although they are not completely see through (slight yellow tinge) they do have a clarity that I feel works well.  I hope to be able to make slightly larger figures next (approx 9in) so that I can bring them into the Limerick city and take photos of everyday scenes with them included in it.
At the moment I have filled the silicone moulds with water and ink and placed them in my home freezer, im going to place them on a piece of watercolour, waxed paper and using my camera, record them melting, im interested to see what is left behind after they eventually disappear.

Week 1 -3

Within our urban society there dwells a group of shadows that the population choose to ignore, unlike common belief these shadows are from all walks of life and from every ethnic, political, religious and social background.  
They are the people you walk past.  The people you don't see and the people you don,t want to see.  They are the people that have suffered or inflicted suffering.  The people who's self worth is so low that they can't bring themselves to interact.  They are the people living in fear.  Fear of being found out, fear of not being heard, fear of not fitting in.  
They are the LGTB group fighting for acceptance, they are the husbands and wives living in fear of the next beating.  They are the children living with abuse.  The are the forgotten elderly.  They are the ex-con trying to rehabilitate.  They are the people living with mental health issues.  They are the people that everyone stops talking about and are afraid to look in the eye. They are you and me.  And they are invisible. 
My project is to discover how someone disappears and to do this I am dealing with shadows.  I want to create the closest physical manifestation of something intangible and in doing so pay tribute to the disappeared.  

Urban Environment to date

My urban environment is a shadow of the past and the hidden identity within our social shadows.  People come and go and without someone to hold their memory they eventually disappear and only their essence is left.  How many people have vanished into obsurity?  Why do they disappear? and where do they go?