Clay - I have bought a white air drying clay. This clay is a moist oil based and non-toxic. Once dry it cannot be reused but if kept in a sealed container or zip-lock bag it will stay soft. The only safety information I can find on the product is that it can be a choking hazard because it can be made into small parts.
Papier-mache - this can be made by using strips of paper (usually newsprint) or using a paper pulp. The glues used to bind these could be flour and water glue, wallpaper paste glue or white PVA glue. Release agents can be vaseline, cooking oil, washing up liquid or using cling film between the chosen object (such as a balloon) and the papier mache. When in contact with water the material slowly hardens and then becomes hot. (Gloves)
Plaster - casting plaster is manufactured and sold under a number of different names. The most common name being Plaster of Paris. Other names include art plaster and gypsum plaster.
Different grades are used for different purposes these need a different ration of water to plaster and have different drying times.
As I was searching for health and safety advice it became apparent that care should be taken when using the plaster. I found advice on the NSEAD (National Society for Education in Art and Design. Direct, prolonged and repeated contact can cause irritation to the skin. Avoid contact with the eyes. The dust needs to be controlled as it can cause irritation and breathing difficulties. As the material becomes hot if guidelines are not followed burns can occur. There are guidelines on the use of Plaster of Paris on the NSEAD website. (Gloves, safety glasses and well ventilated space).
Liquid Latex - is quick drying and forms a durable elastic rubber skin. It is used in a variety of manufacturing and hobbies for example TV and film industry, balloons and plaster casting industry. It is non-toxic and safe to use in the home as long as the recommended precautions are followed. It does contain low levels of ammonia high levels of which can be an irritant and cause corrosion. The ammonia acts as a preservative and the latex can be kept for about 12 months if stored in the correct conditions (dark and cool). (Gloves, safety glasses and well ventilated space).
Instamorph - this is a lightweight thermoplastic. When it is warm it acts like clay but when cooled is a strong plastic. It is non-toxic although it has not yet been certified as safe for internal use or food contact safe. When it is hot it can stick to other surfaces so care should be taken.
With all of the above even when experimenting it is necessary to follow the manufacturers instructions and guidelines for the safe use of the product.
Eco-Resin - eco-resins are polymer resins that are non-toxic, renewable and water based. Natural plants, vegetable extracts and renewable sources are the basis for bio-resins. Bi-resin's main ingredients are sunflower seeds and soya bean proteins. It is a crystal clear resin. Most have no toxic vapours and can be used safely in any working environment. Bio-resin can be made from plants that grow in poor dry soil. This can therefore be a valuable crop for farmers and businesses in developing countries so helping to reduce poverty.
Eduardo Paolozzi
Eduardo Paolozzi was born in 1924 of Italian parents. He attended Edinburgh College of Art in 1943. He attended St Martin's School of art from 1945 ro 1947 and studied sculpture at the Slade School of Fine Art. He taught at the Central School of Art and Design from 1949 to 1955.
He made sculptures inspired by Surrealism and made a number of collages. He had an interest in images of modern machinery. Large Frog 1957 was made from old plastic toys, electronic equipment and bits of machinery all things that were waste. These were pressed into clay and then cast into sheets of wax which were cut and bent and assembled into the final piece.
In the 1950's he also concentrated on the human form. He incorporated impressions from machine and metal parts into wax maquettes which were then cast in bronze.
During the 1960's he collaborated with industrial engineering forms eventually using aluminium in his work.
In the 1970's Eduardo Paolozzi experimented with wood in relief works using intricate networks of geometric and biomorphic elements.
In the 1980's in his private work mutilated heads appeared as if badly pieced together in sections. He used the head as a subject in collages and sculpture work. His best known works are his work for public places including the coloured mosaics design of the Tottenam Court Road tube station and the cast iron sculpture Piscator in Euston Square, London.
Whilst doing this research I had to travel to London and on arrival at Euston Station the first thing I did was to head out to Euston Square and look at the cast iron sculpture Piscator. I took photographs which are below. If I had not been introduced to Eduardo Piolozzi's work through this course I would not have looked so closely at the sculpture and would have probably only given it a cursory glance. I was excited to be able to be up close so that I could touch it and see all the marks and nooks and crannies on the surfaces. To see something up close that I had been reading about actually gave me a feeling of happiness and realised that what I would have dismissed from photographs in books is actually a very interesting tactile piece of work.
I would like to see more of Eduardo Piolozzi's work. I particularly like Plaster Relief. I like this because it is simple and uncluttered. I like that the edges are uneven and I think it gives the piece a naive look and almost like a sample. I would like to try to take something like this into my work for this assignment. I have decided to use plaster for some of my sampling and this has given me ideas for casting objects from nature.
Plaster Relief - Eduardo Piolozzi 1948 Plaster and shellac
Eduardo Paolozzi - Large Frog 1958
Victoria Ferrand Scott
Victoria Ferrand Scott has been a member of the Yorkshire Sculptors Group since 2009. Her work was selected for exhibition at the Royal Academy in 2008 and 2012. She was awarded Associate Membership of the Royal British Society of Sculptors in 2009.
She uses fluid materials in her work. In 2010-2011 she did a Leverhulme funded artist residency in Civil Engineering at Leeds University where she experimented using flexible forming for casting concrete using latex and fabric moulds.
Victoria Ferrand Scott uses drawing and photography as an essential part of her work. She looks for sculptural characteristics in everyday situations She uses video work to document social interactions in public spaces and explore the differences between her experience of these and the video camera recordings.
'Concretions' - cast concrete
'Concrete Army' - cast concrete test pieces
Rachel Whiteread
House - Rachel Whiteread 1993
Rachel Whiteread studied painting at Brighton Polytechnic and scuplpture at the Slade School of Fine Art. Included in some of her significant work is a work in 1990 named Ghost which is a plaster cast of a living room based on a typical Victorian terrace house.
She created a monument for the empty plinth in Trafalgar Square in 2001. She was awarded the Turner Prize in 1993 just after creating a life sized replica of the interior of a condemned terraced house in London's East End. This was called House and was made by spraying liquid concrete into the building's empty shell. The external walls were then removed. It was destroyed in 1994. It drew mixed responses.
Her work just makes me wonder at the size of it. I just feel amazement at the internal casting of a house. When I look at the pictures of it it makes me feel quite sad. First because it looks lonely and empty and makes me think the people who lived there may have felt lonely and empty but it also makes me feel a little sad that it was destroyed a year after she had made it.
References
YouTube, (2016). Using Das clay. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwULG2OUK2M [Accessed 8 Feb. 2016].
YouTube, (2016). DAS Modelling Clay NEW PART 1. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTO-6jfjMcY [Accessed 8 Feb. 2016].
Nsead.org, (2016). NSEAD - A Guide to Safe Practice in Art & Design (Chapter 7: Materials). [online] Available at: http://www.nsead.org/hsg/hs712.aspx [Accessed 8 Feb. 2016].
Liquidlatex.direct, (2016). Liquid Latex Direct. [online] Available at: https://www.liquidlatex.direct/ [Accessed 8 Feb. 2016].
Account, M., Gadgets, E., Garden, H., Props, C., Crafts, A., Parts, R. and Ergonomics, O. (2014). InstaMorph – Moldable Plastic. [online] InstaMorph. Available at: https://www.instamorph.com/ [Accessed 8 Feb. 2016].
Account, M., Gadgets, E., Garden, H., Props, C., Crafts, A., Parts, R. and Ergonomics, O. (2014). InstaMorph – Moldable Plastic. [online] InstaMorph. Available at: https://www.instamorph.com/ [Accessed 8 Feb. 2016].
Castingabout.co.uk, (2016). Eco-Resins. [online] Available at: http://www.castingabout.co.uk/Eco-Resins.html [Accessed 9 Feb. 2016].
Tate, (2016). Sir Eduardo Paolozzi, 'Dr Pepper' 1948. [online] Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/sir-eduardo-paolozzi-1738 [Accessed 11 Feb. 2016].
Eduardo Paolozzi - Large Frog 1958. (2016). [image] Available at: http://www.mylearning.org/art-across-the-curriculum/p-638/ [Accessed 15 Feb. 2016].
Yorkshire Sculptors Group| contemporary sculpture| UK, (2016). Yorkshire Sculptors Group| contemporary sculpture| UK. [online] Available at: http://www.yorkshiresculptorsgroup.org/#!victoria-ferrand-scott/c9rq [Accessed 22 Feb. 2016].
Concretions Victoria Ferrand Scott. (2016). [image] Available at: https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4d4e35_9462d6b9cd564cb188829783ab1a30ca.jpg/v1/fill/w_325,h_433,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01/4d4e35_9462d6b9cd564cb188829783ab1a30ca.jpg [Accessed 22 Feb. 2016].
Concrete Army Victoria Ferrand Scott. (2016). [image] Available at: https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4d4e35_93d079e322e949e995186eb7aa28afe1.jpg/v1/fill/w_325,h_433,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01/4d4e35_93d079e322e949e995186eb7aa28afe1.jpg [Accessed 22 Feb. 2016].
Anon, (2016). [online] Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/unilever-series-rachel-whiteread-embankment/rachel-whiteread-0 [Accessed 22 Feb. 2016].
Anon, (2016). [image] Available at: http://images.tate.org.uk/sites/default/files/images/house_whiteread.jpg [Accessed 22 Feb. 2016].
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