Project 2 involves casting the internal space of a vessel. I wanted to try casting with both clear and opaque materials.
I heard about a great clear bio resin from eggpicnic (9-August-2015). Entropy Resins (entropyresins.com/) make a number of epoxy resins that have green credentials based on production techniques (less energy and produce less harmful byproducts) and content (waste products from other industry, a percentage of renewable plant-based carbon rather than petroleum based carbon). Plus the word was that bio resins have much reduced odor. In Australia the best sources seem to be surfboard shops. A mix of errors made by me and the supplier left me with Super Sap BRT (specially formulated for white surfboard lamination) instead of the intended Super Sap CCR (designed for casting and embedding). Never mind, I’m not generally using any materials as the manufacturer expected.
Following my research of artists for this assignment concrete looked a very attractive choice, but given this is short term, small scale, home based use I chose to go for plaster instead – moulding (casting) plaster from Aldax.
The plan for initial samples was focused on learning basic mixing and handling of the materials. They would be placed in a ziplock sandwich bag and suspended with two ties. Unsure about releasing the resin and plaster from their molds, I wanted to trial a simple release agent – vaseline. So I started with resin and two plastic bags, one with interior smeared with vaseline, the other plain plastic. Mixing, placing in the bags and hanging to set went smoothly. Within five minutes both bags had failed. One bag was suspended over a bucket, which caught the escaping material. The second was over the worktable, with just two layers of newsprint for protection.Was it weight, perhaps heat from the exothermic setting (the product I initially wanted had slow cure speeds and low exothermic temperatures more suitable for casting), stresses caused by the ties, something else??? Mixing up the plaster I chose a less ambitious manipulation, simply laying the bags of material across a raised level on the table. Then I pretended to be patient for a couple of hours while resin and plaster hardened.
On the right the resin bag with no added release agent, complete with bulk of the resin from the bucket (last used when indigo dyeing and not rinsed since).
Sample p3-33 bucket remains – detail
The plastic bag separated quite easily on the more exposed areas, but was sometimes caught in the creases of the highly molded areas. I was able to remove all the obvious plastic (this is the sample with no release agent). A small piece of the suspending string also remains caught.

Sample p3-33
Sample p3-34

Sample p3-34
At some stage I should try drilling into this material. It could be useful to be able to stitch or tie to create a join. Perhaps this is a way of manipulating / preparing text or imagery for incorporation in a larger work.

Samples p3-33 and p3-34
Sample p3-35

Sample p3-35
Very thin sheets of plaster stretched up the sides of the plastic bag. Much of this has broken off, but a delicate edge remains. This contrasts with the heavier bulk at each side, the sense of weight increased by the folding around the corners of the original bag. The surface of the plaster is smooth and shines where it touched the plastic, also adding to the gravity and a certain formality in the cast.
Sample p3-36

Sample p3-36

Samples p3-35 and p3-36
Sample p3-37
Could kinetic sand (16-April-2015) be used as a mold for resin? This could give a lot of flexibility and avoid constraints of fixed molds. Answer: no, at least not when used as I did with no lining. The resin seeped into the sand. It didn’t harden it, but substantially reduced its flow characteristics.
Could resin be used as a coating on an object, like a stiff varnish, without fully embedding the object? Answer: inconclusive. I dribbled on the last of the resin and spread it across the surface of the leaf with my mixing stick. More seeped underneath than I realised, so there is more embedding than intended. Some embossed markings from the container – recycling and manufacturer information – were captured in the resin. That’s a good reminder to be very conscious of all elements of a make-shift mold. A different technique might give the effect I was looking for – suspend the object and apply resin on all sides. A dribble might form, but that could probably be removed discretely.
What would my wooden mixing stick look like if entirely covered in resin? Answer: a varnished wooden mixing stick.
Glorious?
Within minutes of setting them up my resin samples looked like a messy failure. When those complex shapes appeared from the ruins they seemed glorious, triumphant or even phoenix-like.
I’ve been working on this post a couple of days, and in my mind a question mark has appeared. Glorious? Complex, yes. They grab my eye and I pause to try to make sense of them, as if I should recognise them somehow. Interesting, but I’m not convinced they have potential – or not direct potential. They are so fussy and intricate. I don’t think the shapes would work scaled up. They would have to be simplified and that free, chaotic, dynamic look would be hard to retain. They are frivolous, showy. They defy gravity, even while gravity had such a direct impact on their shaping. I couldn’t see them building into something real, something beyond a sample.
I had reached that conclusion, then turned around to look once more at the offending samples… and saw something else.

Samples p3-34 and p3-36
Still, there is a visual link and I think they look good together. Light is reflected, light is absorbed. There are sharp lines and smooth curves. There is softness and hardness and variation in texture.
I look back at the “failed join” of sample p3-12 (1-September-2015). In fact all four materials – resin, plaster, composimold, polymorph – look good together. Each offers something different in appearance and properties to the mix. Interesting…T1-MMT-P3-p2 Casting – glorious failure
Textiles 1 – Mixed Media for Textiles
Part 3: Molding and casting
Project 2: Casting the internal space of a vessel
Casting – glorious failure
I adore them, especially p3-33 & p3-34. No idea how they could be scaled up and used but maybe that’s part of the attraction. This is a fascinating exercise and I’m wondering where it will go if you move towards textiles. Could you adhere to or embed hessian, yarn strands or torn fabric I wonder?
Great aren’t they – and I thought it was a total disaster with all the mess. Embedding textiley things is definitely on the agenda. Thinking of starting with the heat-treated lame which looked good but was too fragile to use.
Truly fascinating, as always.