Alison Goslin

Our strange times of pandemic have inspired me – we are all having to take what initially seems as strange measures to protect ourselves and stay as safe as possible.

I had the idea of using a surgical face mask image (an image of protection) as a parachute, to literally help soften the blow and offer a “Safe Landing??” for us from the waves of covid pandemic we are experiencing. The image of the parachute is also intended to remind us of previous times of war.

The sculpture represents a symbol of hope, but sadly also a reminder of the reality of our current times.

The notion of ‘keeping safe’ in everyday life from an invasion (albeit a virus) is new for a post-war generation – in a short space of time we have changed from a mass consumerist society to one whose shared effort is our basic struggle for survival.

To develop this art piece further I would like to see multiple copies made and display hanging and ‘parachuting’ down from above.

I appreciate the support of our Tutors – Julian Wild and Alex Lumsden and the freedom they have given to enable me to follow my ideas.

I hope to be inspired by more positive times in the future!

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Safe Landing??

Bronze, 2021

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Suzie Hackney

‘Let Go Of Your Crap’
A piece created as part of a letting go ritual. The person wishing to empty themselves of negative thought or worry can write something they want to let go of on the toilet paper and light it up seeing the worry disappear within a flush.

‘Emotion Totem’
A piece created as part of an emotion celebration and acceptance ritual. Placed on a ceremonial cushion made from velvet and bright orange feathers, the totem can be held whilst repeating a mantra, danced with, or slept with to enhance dreams.

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Let Go Of Your Crap

Bronze and Paper, 2021

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Emotion Totem

Bronze, Mixed Media, Velvet and Feathers, 2021

Suzie Hackney

‘Let Go Of Your Crap’
A piece created as part of a letting go ritual. The person wishing to empty themselves of negative thought or worry can write something they want to let go of on the toilet paper and light it up seeing the worry disappear within a flush.

‘Emotion Totem’
A piece created as part of an emotion celebration and acceptance ritual. Placed on a ceremonial cushion made from velvet and bright orange feathers, the totem can be held whilst repeating a mantra, danced with, or slept with to enhance dreams.

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Antonia Hockings

The underlying concept is “Life balance triangle”. I got the idea from an old-fashioned set of scales that I have at home and I wanted to create my own version. The left part is all things in our life i.e., work, family, friends, self-care, health etc. The right part represents the person dividing himself between all the commitments and trying to figure out which one to drop as he has too much on his plate! The “Life balance triangle” is a cycle and every time you prioritise one thing it takes away from the other. So, I have come to the realisation that you cannot have a perfect balance and we end up choosing what makes us the happiest.

Initially I wanted to make just the little figure on the right, as an expression of division and separation. I felt that Brexit and Covid had created so much division among friends and family and many of us had become separated or isolated. This is also my expression of two people who are connected, but they are no longer close and are looking in different directions. However, I decided to put the figure on the seesaw and use it in the context of the divided person, who is dividing himself between family, work, friends etc. On the bright side, Covid has certainly being inspiring for me to create more bronze sculptures and I am looking forward to seeing my next one completed.

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Balance

Bronze, 2021

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Sophia Kisielewska

I chose to sculpt a rat in bronze because I wanted to challenge myself with the task of capturing the dead weight of an animal. I was inspired by the sculptures of Michelangelo and Giambologna, who I have been studying for the last few years. I am constantly fascinated by how Michelangelo played with tension in his figures – how with the solid mediums of marble and bronze, he managed to make the bodies of his figures feel so alive. I wanted to create the impression that the rat had only just died, perhaps even that there was still some breath in his body. I chose to have the rat flop over a corner, so that I could express the weight of the helpless dead body, but have its feet still raised, to give the impression that they were recently active.

I struggled working with the bronze wax. It is tougher to manipulate than standard wax or clay, and it requires the use of blow touches and heated tools to sculpt it. In the end, though, the blowtorch allowed me to create a matted fur that was stylised, and in a way more lifelike and effective than anything I might have been able to do otherwise. It brought me closer to being able to create the effects produced by Giambologna for his bronze bird sculptures, which I recently studied in the Bargello in Florence.

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La Peste

Bronze and Wood, 2021

Sophia Kisielewska

I chose to sculpt a rat in bronze because I wanted to challenge myself with the task of capturing the dead weight of an animal. I was inspired by the sculptures of Michelangelo and Giambologna, who I have been studying for the last few years. I am constantly fascinated by how Michelangelo played with tension in his figures – how with the solid mediums of marble and bronze, he managed to make the bodies of his figures feel so alive. I wanted to create the impression that the rat had only just died, perhaps even that there was still some breath in his body. I chose to have the rat flop over a corner, so that I could express the weight of the helpless dead body, but have its feet still raised, to give the impression that they were recently active.

I struggled working with the bronze wax. It is tougher to manipulate than standard wax or clay, and it requires the use of blow touches and heated tools to sculpt it. In the end, though, the blowtorch allowed me to create a matted fur that was stylised, and in a way more lifelike and effective than anything I might have been able to do otherwise. It brought me closer to being able to create the effects produced by Giambologna for his bronze bird sculptures, which I recently studied in the Bargello in Florence.

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Anton Hvorak

I have been inspired to be here and now and enjoy the moment, and the elephant represents that to me.

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Elephant

Bronze, 2021

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Alex McKay

Choosing to cast bubble wrap the everyday disposable throw away is elevated to a precious object, both of which endure the passage of time in different ways. Bronze opens up links with antiquity and also raises the question of more problematic figures in history that are immortalised in this metal. This piece aims to present a constellation of contradictions between the disposable and the enduring, transforming a piece of throw away trash to a metal laden with historical undertones and also interrupts the interaction and the irresistible urge to feel it, squeeze it and hear it pop.

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Future present

Bronze, 2021

Alex McKay

Choosing to cast bubble wrap the everyday disposable throw away is elevated to a precious object, both of which endure the passage of time in different ways. Bronze opens up links with antiquity and also raises the question of more problematic figures in history that are immortalised in this metal. This piece aims to present a constellation of contradictions between the disposable and the enduring, transforming a piece of throw away trash to a metal laden with historical undertones and also interrupts the interaction and the irresistible urge to feel it, squeeze it and hear it pop.

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Vicky Neave

I was inspired by the enormous openings typical to modern buildings in Asia. These are mythically believed to be gates for Dragons to move through from their homes in the mountains to the water to drink. With these openings the buildings are no longer an impediment to the flow of energy and may sit in harmony with the natural environment. The Dragon’s Gate represents the 5 Elements of Feng Shui practice Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water and the movement and nature of energy. Referencing the form of a Chinese coin, an auspicious symbol to hang at a threshold and the organic form of a tree.
I was interested in the principles of Feng Shui, the balance between the organic and inorganic and the movement of energy through these spaces.

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The Dragon’s Gate

Bronze, 2010

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Sandor Pater

It’s an original form of the world invented by me- it can be considered my style. Basically, these are seeds. The core is the smallest unit in the world that carries information regarding the universe.

More precisely, a poppy see- no matter the size or shape, carries the entire life cycle of the plant throughout space and tine. From the induction to the denouement.

Overall, this remains true from the micro-cosmos to the macro-cosmos.

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Bronze Seeds

Bronze, 2021

Sandor Pater

It’s an original form of the world invented by me- it can be considered my style. Basically, these are seeds. The core is the smallest unit in the world that carries information regarding the universe.

More precisely, a poppy see- no matter the size or shape, carries the entire life cycle of the plant throughout space and tine. From the induction to the denouement.

Overall, this remains true from the micro-cosmos to the macro-cosmos.

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Working with Bronze

Alison Goslin

Suzie Hackney

Suzie Hackney

Antonia Hockings

Sophia Kisielewska

Sophia Kisielewska

Anton Hvorak

Alex McKay

Alex McKay

Vicky Neave

Sandor Pater

Sandor Pater

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