nest of time
plaster and tulle, 50 x 30 x 10 cm, 2023
Nest of time consists in a plaster sculpture of two hands touching each other, wrapped in a nude tulle. The title comes from an association of the material with a nest and its characteristics of protection, intimacy and privacy.
nest of time at the ma fine art: drawing pop up exhibition @ camberwell college of arts, december 2023
process
From the first week of studio work, I started reflecting on manners to expand my practice in dialogue with the facilities that the university offers. Since, in my research, I consider the thread as the drawn line in the three-dimensionality, I considered other ways to bring this physical materiality to my work.
I've been doing sketches of my hands through observation to explore the possibilities of touch and intertwining between bodies, with the theme of intimacy in mind.
sketchbook, 2023
In early october, our class had a casting workshop with Pete Roberts, in which we had a chance to create a mini sculpture of our finger using plaster, and we were presented the possibility of utilizing the foundry workshop to continue working with this material. Therefore, I booked an induction and a time slot in the workshop to start the project.
plaster sculpture, 2023
I decided to do the mould of my own hands, after testing positions in which my fingers could be intertwined. The mould was made of alginate, the same material I have previously used in the first casting workshop.
process of the sculpture in the foundry workshop, 2023
To see the details of my body outside of myself, to touch hands that are identical to mine but are not my real hands, was a process of getting to know myself and creating a distance at the same time.
“The work with plaster and the tulle reminds me of the skin. But it also reminds me of a cloud, a sand/smoke cloud. But it also reminds me of the earth, something growing, maybe. Entanglement. A bed sheet. A distant memory. I’m still trying to figure it out.” (24.11.23)
process, 2023
Because of the associations I made from the characteristics of this fabric that I had previously purchased without a specific objective - its texture, its color, its haptic sensation -, I had the urge to "wrap" it around the sculpture of my hands. Just with this minimal act, which is something that I'm not used to (since the embroidery process usually takes a lot of time), I thought the work was done. It felt complete, embraced.
In terms of displaying it, I didn't think it would make a difference in terms of place. It could be on the ground, on a shelf, on a scupture stand, etc. However, during the group critique that we had after the pop up exhibition, I was told that the work was very delicate, contained, with a sense of preciousness and caring around it. Hence, the way it was presented mattered the most: if it was on the ground, it could create a contrast on this idea of protectiveness. If it was on top of something, a different idea would be evoked. It made me want to explore ways of displaying it, to better understand how to create different atmospheres around the same object.
process, 2023