i can’t believe it is only three weeks till the end of term, we are spending four days with small groups of pupils in the last week making sculptures for what is going to be a sculpture park in the school grounds. The plan is to make a large wicker dragon and also small flowers made from aluminium sheeting and copper mesh, i think it’ll be really fun. i have also offered to make a sculpture for the park incorporating themes of my work and an environmental theme as the plan is to power it with a solar panel.
My idea is a 5’/6′ high sculpture made of copper foil that i have etched with drawings backed onto a tougher metal and sculpted. i am hoping the copper foil will etch through in areas and the metal it is backed with will shine through. The image i have in mind is of tree roots pushing up a concrete pavement in an urban environment, giving the impression of nature reclaiming its environment and reminding the viewer of the power it has.
I have also thought about asking the kids what their thoughts on the environment are and maybe getting them to write it down and incorporating that in the piece somehow.
This is all very ambitious and so far have ordered copper foil and only just had a chance to test if it etches well or not which it does but now i need a large amount and the only stuff i can find is from abroad, not great for an environment themed piece of work!
oh and the other thing is the solar panel idea- i want to run water over the thing so the pump would be powered by the panel and the water would corrode the copper over time adding to the message of the power nature has to break down materials. it would also give the piece a very elemental theme, water, metal, earth (trees) etc. and the copper would go beautiful colours and give the sculpture a feeling of it living.
