In the penultimate month of last summer I, in the vegetative state that one adopts at the end of long periods of inactive behavior brought on by sweltering hot So-Cal afternoons, I viewed a television program[1] (that shall only be named in the footnotes because of the shame and embarrassment of this writer) that (to my dismay) actually triggered a new interest within my practice. Peregrine Honig’s wax installation opened my eyes to a medium that I had never thought of working with previously. Her collection of pieces aptly named “Beautiful Boys” [2] were fairly amusing, more so then her wax horses. Fast-forward to a few weeks ago when an idea emerged from the realm of wax sculpture but was speedily shot down by several tutors. Multiple use of the word “mask” appears to instill fear and loathing in the hearts of Chelsea Fine Arts tutors. I myself am now unable to view M-A-S-K-S (i.e. that which must not be named), in the same way. But then I was shown the likes of Evan Holloway and Franz West and almost immediately the idea evolved. Evan Holloway[3] created various installations using bodies and body parts made from various materials. He entwined the humanoid forms into each of his sculptures creating a delicately macabre appearance; this in turn jump-started my idea of creating life-size human limbs made out of wax. Franz West’s performance pieces using his “Adaptive” sculptures[4], made from what seemed to be plaster and metal into metamorphic shapes that were worn on the body often in such a way that they appeared to be obscure instruments or for domestic use. The idea of making the sculptures into wearable art; to be worn on the body during a performance seemed to be the next logical evolution of my piece. Seeing the Trisha Brown, Gordon Matta-Clark and Laurie Anderson exhibition at the Barbican reinforced this belief in me (especially Trisha Brown’s “Dance with the Ducks” Head costume[5]). Unfortunately this idea is inconceivable at the moment as I would need a limb-less individual, the likes of which would most likely be unwilling participate in my perfomace anyway. So I reworked the concept to simply creating the prosthetic.
The process of assembling a plaster mold for the wax to be poured into is not as easy a task as I initially thought, and plastering one’s own entire leg with mod rock (plaster bandage) is not something for the faint of heart. The process itself is not difficult, if you’re a contortionist that is. Staying in a stable enough position while also trying to stretch to reach your feet isn’t particularly easy for a girl who gave up on exercise several years ago. Once the moulds were finished I explored several websites[6] to find the easiest release agent so the beeswax would not adhere to the plaster permanently. I discovered that liquid soap was most effective and then managed to purchase the one with the most repulsive scent of course! Having successfully created beeswax representations of my legs I moved on to casting and creating a relative’s feet and arms. The arms proved to be a veritable challenge as they broke twice at the wrist in wax form, but were repaired by making the arms significantly denser. Originally I had wanted the suspenders to be made out of leather and coloured elastic but creating them entirely out of white elastic and a flesh pink stocking gave a medical/sterile appearance. If I had more time I would have liked to create several other sculptures of limbs, casing many different shaped people and displaying them in a scientific-esque display case would be ideal, but alas, the pristine white floor will have to do.
[1] Bravo’s “The Next Great Artist”
[2] Peregrine Honig, 2010. Peregrine Honig. (2010) [online] Available at: http://www.peregrinehonig.com/ [Wednesday March 30, 2011].
[3] The approach gallery, 2010. Evan Holloway. [online] (2010) Available at: http://www.theapproach.co.uk/artists/holloway/ [Wednesday March 30, 2011]
[4]Peter Schjeldahl, 2007. The Art World. [online] Available at: http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/artworld/2007/03/19/070319craw_artworld_schjeldahl [Wednesday March 30, 2011].
[5] Trisha Brown Dance company, 2008. Repertoire. [online] (2009) Available at: http://www.trishabrowncompany.org/index.php?page=view&nr=472 [Wednesday March 30, 2011].
[6] Jas Davidson, 2009. Releasing wax from plaster. [online] (2009) Available at http://www.sculpture.net/community/showthread.php?t=8818 [Wednesday March 30, 2011].
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