A number of the samples in this Part have interesting and / or attractive elements, and even more have future potential. However I think the greatest potential is in the materials themselves, and in combinations of the materials. Intrigued by their properties, I narrowed my field of enquiry to Polymorph and ComposiMold for molding, and to plaster and epoxy resin for casting. In the Sorting phase I have considered individual samples, but I have also re-photographed a number in small groupings of mixed materials.

Polymorph and composimold molding samples – backlit
See posts 23-August-2015, 26-August-2015 and 1-September-2015 for details on the samples above.
A series of samples which built on earlier exercises in scratching (assignment 1) and joining (assignment 2) identified more potential in the materials. Careful use of heat allowed interesting mark-making which I then further embellished with stitch. The materials were easy to work with and responded well to these manipulations. I would like to take all these ideas further. My first foray into casting led to a fortuitous disaster (14-September-2015). The plastic bags whose interiors I was exploring broke, spilling much of the resin. The complex shapes of the remains in the bag look like fantastical creatures. I also enjoy the idea of capturing a brief moment in time. Thin dribbles extending down from the tears were surprisingly strong, an observation whose potential I started exploring in later samples.
Samples p3-46 and p3-48
I find this a very exciting sample. The texture of the treated fabric has been captured without the flattening effect that is sometimes seen in a thicker casting. The nature of the fabric is the main player in the piece. With the round foot it’s a little formal, with a similarity to an award or trophy, but there’s no real restriction on the shape or size of the base, or even any necessity to have a base at all. I’d like to make an armour of overlapping plates, playing with light and colour.
In the photographs above I have paired it with a plaster sample. There is an affinity of line, creating an intriguing space between the samples. Both were formed using fabrics and there is a link in the captured imprint of the plain weave. The plaster appears soft, absorbing light – there is a very fine haze of fibres on the surface. In contrast the resin is bright, hard, colourful. A pleasing combination.

Samples p3-51, p3-39 and p3-23
Also included in the photograph above is sample p3-23, made of ComposiMold brushed onto large scale bubble wrap. The light, texture and colour of this sample add extra dimensions to the grouping and the placement breaks down the severe lines of the base used to display the casts. Another mold created using the same brushing method was less successful. Sample p3-25 (6-September-2015) was an attempt to follow up the success in assignment 2 of wrapping a mug in plastic (sample p2-70, 22-July-2015). There are a number of variables to manage in this technique, including heat, layering and thickness of the material. There is definitely potential here.

Samples p3-41 and p3-47
The dramatic lighting of the larger photograph emphasizes the different materials and their lines. It also shows the cloudy centre of the resin. An on-line shopping mixup meant I used resin intended for laminating rather than casting. This was of great benefit in sample p3-46, where the fast cure (25 minutes pot life, 4 hour tack free time) was much more suitable than the slow cure resin intended for casting (for thick casts 360 minutes pot life, 72 hour tack free time). For thicker pieces such as the sample shown here the fast cure led to improper curing and cloudiness. At some point I will probably want supplies of both types of resin.

Samples p3-24 p3-35 and p3-33 bucket remains

Sample p3-53 alternate view
T1-MMT-P3 Molding and casting – Sorting
Textiles 1 – Mixed Media for Textiles
Part 3: Molding and casting
Sorting
1 Response to “T1-MMT-P3 Molding and casting – Sorting”