I wanted to take part in this year's BAMS (British Art Medal Society) Student Medal after last year only making a proposal due the pandemic and issues with the foundry. I attended the briefing held online by Marcy Leavitt Bourne. The brief is here: https://fattorini.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/BAMS-Student-Medal-Project-for-Colleges.pdf but from the briefing the elements I want to take forward are both sides of the medal working as one but also telling a story between the sides. To make it feel tactile to hold and for it to fit in the palm of the hand. The brief this year is open, which is good but also does make you wonder where to go, although you can look at the previous year's briefs and work with them. I am going to look at how I may incorporate some of my current exploration and thinking along the lines of non-verbal language and the disruption to communication.
This is a prestigious competition and the winning medals are normally exhibited nationally and internationally, there are prizes to be won, you will also feature in the project catalogue and there is an opportunity to sell your medal in a multiple edition. Although all these appeal I am more interested in making another piece of bronze casting having developed a couple of pieces last year and it may be that is all I do this year...
This is my initial scribbled/scamped ideas to discuss with Desmond. It was encouraging to discuss the idea and how it may work. The idea is to create something that resembles an ear on one side and an eye on the other, working on two of the primary senses. On discussion with Desmond he was struck by the idea that by holding it in the hand you are automatically closing one of the senses off. I thought this was quite poignant as I had discussed the idea that you can shut your eyes to something you don't want to see but it's not so easy with your ears, noise gets through.
How it might be made to be cast is up for grabs. I had thought about using modelling wax but this can be quite tricky to manipulate and become quite sticky. The advantage is it can be cast as a 'lost wax' process with the wax turning to gas once the bronze is poured into the flask containing the run up model. On discussing this with the technicians in 3D they suggested a new product that can be moulded more like clay but they are hoping an also be cast using the 'lost wax' process. Unfortunately they had sold out after everyone found out about it, so I thought the best thing to do was to just play with some normal clay to start with and see how it could work as a 3D object.
This first thing I did was took a previous plaster cast from my own ear that made with some clay in the first year...
It was a bit rough and had extra bits around the edge from the moulding but it was only done as I had too much plaster for a particular mould. It does provide excellent reference though for this project.
Creating them both did require a certain amount of carving and shaping and it is still relatively crude but I can refine it more later, it provides a base to move on from or indeed to have discussions with Desmond or 3D. I also want to introduce some sort of wording on the edge but am unsure what that would be yet or how to apply. It is also thicker than I would like but than can be resolved as I develop it.
It sits reasonably well in the hand and has a good feel to it. Time to take it to the next stage.
Having discussed various options as to how to create the model I decided to go for using modelling wax. This is pliable and adaptable but by working on all sides can go soft in the hand and create issues holding one side and working on the other. I did discuss with 3D about creating something from a silicon mould of my actual ear and eye but due to Covid we can't cast anything from an eye. I did discuss the idea of creating a 3D print of an object but the process would take too long and with the Christmas break it wouldn't be possible to make the deadline. So modelling wax it is!
Making the ear side wasn't too tricky, I needed to get the depth right but by using the previous cast I could work this out. Then to flip and do the eye... this was harder as a lot of the eye relies on the colour to define the elements, ie the iris and pupil. Also knowing the limitations of casting I had to be aware of anything too fine that might be lost in the cast and therefore become indistinguishable in the final piece, however much I worked on it when cast.
By using the ear shape as the master I had to fit the eye within that space, which I knew would work as it did on the clay dummy. The harder part was to define the iris and pupil and work out the best way for the eye lashes to work. I have looked at whether you can colour the final piece and will discuss this with 3D when we return.
The next issue was applying the wording. Actually deciding on what the wording was to be took a long time as I wanted something concise but also slightly thought provoking. I ended up by deciding on 'DON'T SHUT ME OUT' this was in reference to one sense being closed when held in the palm of the hand and when turned the opposite sense being turned off. How to apply it was going to be tricky as I am aware that the casting process too finer detail will be lost. Initially I tried to carve it in after printing off some guide lettering.
After three attempts I decided this wasn't working and would be lost in the cast, so I decided to imprint the words using some print letters I have, these were larger than I would have originally liked but on reflection I think they work well and wrap around the piece well.
Now just to fine tune things, double check all okay and prep for casting...
The text to accompany the actual medal for the competition is in draft form but it currently states: 'As part of my investigation into non-verbal communication, where I have experimented with the likes Braille, Morse Code, Sonar and other forms of coded language, I wanted to explore how I could make a three-dimensional object that depicted two of the primary senses for recipients of communication, sight and sound. I have explored how both of these senses could be incorporated in one piece and by doing so can see how by holding the medal in one hand you are closing the sense from the reverse and vice versa. The medal has been created lifesize to add to the element of realism and bodily connection when held.
The wording on the edge of the medal ‘Don’t shut me out’ is the result of exploring a way of expressing how it must feel to anyone with impairment in either of these senses or in any way disabled. Not just the closing of the sense and therefore communication but also in the more wider issue of exclusion in society.'
Comments