Getting Making II
In response to Bridget’s brief I began making a series of objects inspired by the items I chose in ‘getting making part I’. I have never used Gelatine, Agar or Mirror before, however I use papier mache and card a lot and I found it was helpful to combine familiar techniques with new materials to inspire unexpected developments, routed in my skill set. There are certainly qualities I like and successes that I want to build upon, but overall I feel the aesthetic is too childlike and rudimentary and I’m interested how I might elevate and generate in my further developments.
Object 008
Cardboard base, covered with homemade gelatin glue and dipped in recycled Colorama paper pulp.
I like how the curved shape rocks playfully when pushed, and found balance again. The fluffy flocked coating feels soft and comforting to touch, however the gelatin glue remains quite soft and its easily worn away. The card meant the edges of the shape compressed easily, and the gelatin glue wasn’t strong enough to hold the tension of the curved of the card, so I had to use a PVA.
Object 009 & 010
Gelatine and recycled paper composites. As the gelatine didn’t seem to bind well as glue, I wandered how it would react as part of a composite with paper pulp. First I set some in small tray, so theres one smooth cast side and one natural textured side. This contrast is satisfying, as is the fact that when dropped it bounces, and due to the shape it can becomes quite animated. It came out quite soft and wasn’t easily sculpted, however I made another batch with double the amount of paper in blue. This allowed me to hand sculpt, and what resulted was quite a tough rubbery finish. It wasn’t bouncy like the yellow, but feels sturdier and definitely a result i’d like to try again, perhaps by adding less paper, and other additives of rice or corn flour for rigidity.
Object 011 & 012
Agar Agar and recycled paper composites. Using a meat free seaweed alternative to gelatine I was still able to generate the bounce which was fun news. I also had to add lavender essential oil as a preservative and the result was that these sample smelt naturally of the soothing flower. although coincidental I really love the idea of infusing the materials I use with scents, that both preserve and soothe.
When solidified the Agar is more translucent and gives a matte effect when mixed with paper. It came our perhaps a but more crumbly than the gelatine and can be both sculpted and cast. Ideally I want to create a composite that it’s reasonably hardy and wouldn’t melt or disintegrate upon touch, at the moment these feel half way there. . I wander If I can aim for more rigidity but keep the bounce? I wonder if I could use food dye to enhance the colour or use agar without paper.
Object 013
Rice glue paper mache. I wanted to try paper mache out with rice glue rather than PVA so that it would be non toxic. I like using paper mache technqiues as they give alot of freedom, end up light and although considered a childrens craft technique, historically they have been used for much grander and hardier purposes. From architectural mouldings in the summer palace of St Petersberg, to helmets during the Hans Dynasty of China ( BC 202 – AD 220 ) where the craft was thought to have originated. This sample just had one layer of recycled paper and glue and is very weak because of it, but I would like to experiment with different binding and layers to see how I might turn the material into something hardy and suitable for a product, whilst remaining low impact and easy to use. Composites like this are inherently not mono -material, so I want to ensure any I make can compost. Through the 3 ways task set by Bridget during the seminar I discovered that there were many different binders used in paper mache historically, including broccoli, which was patented - and Id love to test and find out why!
Object 014 & 015
Glass Mirror - Positive and negative cut outs.. My fascination with projecting light led me to experiment with mirror. First off the bat, Im not keen on mirror because even though this is recycled mirror, mirror can not be recycled and therefore has to head to landfill after use. I would like to explore the possibilities of creating an easier to recycle mirror perhaps using a removable film or a solid reflective surface such as aluminium that is recyclable. I think it is a very soothing and satisfying material - I see it as a way that I might bounce light, illuminate, and creates reflections from the outside - like water itself.
My first challenge was creating a 3D Object from something 2D. As I cut the mirror with the glass cutting blade I realised the film from the mirror gave it a hinge, this lead me to naturally fold it and create a self supporting shape, that propped its self open like a book or picture frame. I like how it creates a playful visual illusion and also how the angled mirror bounces light around this room. It reminds me of the calming light animations that inspired the project and I would like to experiment in how I might continue to capture or generate these light displays through my object making. I didn’t like that mirror is one sided, because it means the object doesn’t work in 360 degrees. I had to use heavy tack foam tape to stick the pieces together, however I want to create objects that are easy to recycle so I ideally want to avoid glues and tapes which make this alot harder. Im really drawn to the shapes and effects created here, but I need to push the material research further to make it work for my recycle material palette. I would love to explore this 2D to 3D idea further but using slotting so theres no need for glue.
The negative off-cut ( middle and right) was accidental but perhaps my favourite object from the whole series. The film backing created lots of hinges and so it became flexible but also very rigid. I liked that it could be moved around and played with, and then settle down into many alternative resting positions, which then bounced light around. It was satisfying and fun to fiddle with and has mani iterations for originality ( although the sharp edges need filing!)