Search

Continuing to Create: Earth Casting

culversculpture
Jan 3, 2015
2 min read

With graduation in sight, it can be a sobering experience when you realize you’ll soon be without a comprehensive sculpture studio. This realization has forced me to reevaluate material importance, and reconsider what tools and equipment are vital to sustain a particular visual vocabulary. With my latest work, I’ve implemented a change in methods that lends itself to post-university studio practices. By limiting processes and materials to a minimum, I found myself working to push more boundaries to compensate for the new “economical” approach.

My studio practice needed to adapt; I decided to trade in the cast bronze components for aged wood, and I was going to build off the successes of the messy and lawless masses of “Sodom” and “Gomorrah.” No metal casting. No metal bending. No more boxy molds. It was exciting and terrifying.

These challenges provided personal breakthroughs, and with the support of a good friend, I allowed myself to create the most aesthetically natural pieces I’ve made yet.

With this post, I’d like to talk about how earth-casting transformed the overall feeling of my series "the Mirage Division", and how it was accomplished.

Division No. 11 (detail)

Previous pedestal-works in the series were generally clean with an obedient, cube, concrete base. This approach was time consuming, and wasn't nearly as exciting as the rough finishes achievable with burned spray foam. Instead of building a box, placing the steel in, and pouring in concrete, I decided to bury the sculpture-in-progress. Once buried, I dug out the cavity that would later be filled with concrete.

digging, burying, and filling Division No.10

This new approach was incredibly satisfying, it felt like the steel had entered a cocoon! I waited anxiously for the concrete to set up, and after the long three days, the recovery began. It felt like an archaeological dig removing the earth from the sculpture. Once it was removed, it was a matter of removing the loose dirt attached to the concrete, hoses and brushes cleaned it up quickly.

The best part about earth-casting, is the texture and materials that become trapped by the concrete and remain in the final product. Twigs, stones, and the overall appearance of earth replaced what was a sterile, simple, block. This alteration in appearance made me realize why it made so much sense to cast with this method: When the subject matter is earth, use earth to create your molds.