After visiting the Tate Modern and discovering the wonders of Maria Bartuszova ceramics.
I decided to consider the balloon. The latex balloon is not a terrible product, it’s made from latex (milked) from a rubber tree and starts to decompose the moment it hits the air. The balloon rots back into the earth in the same time it takes wood to rot, approx two years. It’s the colouring and the releasing of the balloon which causes the environmental issues. So I had taken the fun out of the balloon.
I am a mother and always have a balloon or 50 in the house, so the mission was to fill a balloon with plaster of Paris without destroying my kitchen.
I did destroy my kitchen, but in for a penny eh!
I had to experiment with the consistency and timings of the plaster in order to fill up a balloon to replace my breath. As you can see on the broken creeper, there are many air bubbles, which were created by a plunging action. This was a difficult process to do on one’s own. I need an assistant and to not be in my kitchen.
Once the plaster had set, some balloons split resulting in these amusing forms., while others remained on the plaster. I preferred the balloons to remain but I had already planned an exhibition in the art space at University. I want the plaster to evolve. The balloons also made me think of pigments to create vibrant casts. On my to-do list.
I wanted to achieve a cast inside a piece of wood, to create, squashed, bulbous forms, to express the playfulness of the material, and also to record marks of the unseen areas. I have achieved all and more, i would like to explore this further.
