June
Materials have arrived and laser cutting and fabrication is underway for the sculpture. This is a complex process of not just bending but also twisting and going large bits of steel to each other - seamlessly.
A model showing scale of the artwork. The bronze material is not the proposed material but gives an idea of the metallic finish.
May
The models and concepts are all done now and the artwork is underway. We have created some models showing the different angles and this gives us an idea as to the shadows it will project and the scale of the artwork.
LACE AND GRACE
The focus for the artwork is to bring together the colliding themes of Lace and Grace. Lace offers a way of combining strands of thought into a unifying image. The threads are carefully connected together with seeming ease and without obvious joins. The delicate tracery of lace is like streams of consciousness that is woven from thin air. The patterns created offer strength in unity and grace in thought. The words from Amazing Grace bring together John Newton’s bitter life experience and subsequent conversion to the anti slavery cause into a hymn that has been adopted by diverse communities across the globe. These two themes show that we can all weave our own threads in life. The friendship of Newton and Cowper will be at the heart of the piece offering the notion that communicating with each other is vital to our well-being. The artwork will be woven in stainless steel - reflecting the sky - incorporating thoughts and lace patterns. Nature will find its voice in the laser cut and woven forms. People can read their own stories in the forms and connect their own lives with the images they interpret in the structure. Over four metres tall it will be seen at a distance and the sun will cast shadows of the lace forms onto the surrounding landscape.
Sketch for Lace and Grace
September - October
More development on the artwork has taken place where we discussed materials and lighting. Various iterations have been presented and designed and methods of fabrication discussed directly with the fabricator - CBARTS. Our thoughts at this stage is to make the artwork using Corten - rusty metal - this reflects the colour and texture of the lace templates that were used in lace making. It also has practical implications as it is an easy material to maintain. We are hoping to include lighting within it and this would shine through the punctuated holes in the artwork.
I even had a go at lace making with the Olney Lace Making Circle which was amazing. It is a very enjoyable and mindful experience and you can easily get lost in the process of lace making and the web of threads that weave in and out of each other.
November 21-23
The latest visit to Olney has involved more research and meetings - learning all the time about the meaning behind both lace and Amazing Grace. Part of what we are doing now is to ensure that the previous designs and themes stand up to scrutiny. We are evolving the design all the time but it is more about the fine detail now that the form has been agreed in principle.
We had an amazing morning at Olney Middle School working with Year 5 and 6. We discussed the artwork Lace and Grace and talked about the themes and how I design and make things. We then worked on a nature journal and spent the morning drawing and creating our own nature journals.