Silicone onto triangular surfaces

I've been reflecting on my work with silicone, and am uncertain about the direction I am going in with the cones. I know that I need to increase the scale I am working on, moving them from maquettes to more refined forms. Looking back at the experiments that first got me excited about using silicone, I evaluated what made them work, and want to try experimenting with things such as transparency, opacity, mark making and composition. I'm going to use some of the triangular surfaces that made up the forms in the Out of Kansas exhibition at the Lit and Phil. This gives me the opportunity to work on a larger scale, and transform surfaces into three dimensional forms easily.

Transparent silicone onto matt paint.

Transparent silicone onto silver metallic vinyl.

Opaque silicone onto matt paint, with sprinkles of hundreds and thousands.

Transparent silicone, opaque silicone onto metallic silver vinyl and matt paint.

Raising these from the floor for the drying process has made me think of the installation possibilities. The surfaces could be raised at different heights, allowing them to overlap each other. They could be on wheels to allow different positioning and create various compositions.

Out of Kansas destall

Today was the day we had to destall Out of Kansas from the Lit and Phil. How time has passed so quickly. 

Thankfully, taking the forms down from the top of the bookcases was easier than it had been to get them up. We carried them downstairs out of the way, and dismantled them. 

There were a number of reasons why we did not keep them intact. Most importantly, the forms had been made specifically for the Lit and Phil, and they would not work in the way we wanted them to work if they were sited in another context. 

    

We also have very little/ no room for storage of work. 

Thirdly, having spent hundreds of pounds creating the exhibition, we had no money to pay for another van to transport the work back to the studio. 

With the seats down and some careful positioning, we were able to fit the components of the forms in Jodie's car, but not when they were fully constructed.

The moveable forms were not so easy to transport, and involved us pushing them from the Lit & Phil through a bustling Newcastle city centre on a sunny day at lunchtime. Despite the number of people around, no one offered to help, even when the wheels of one of the forms got stuck on a kerb of a busy road! Half-way on the journey, two of the wheels fell off one of the forms, making it even more difficult to manoeuvre! It must have been a rather funny sight, seeing two small women pushing two large shiny silver geometric shapes along the busiest street of Newcastle! 

As we approached the University, a friend spotted a moving triangle, and knew it had to be me! He stood outside the cafe and laughed as he took a few photos!

Trimming the reflective vinyl

With one day to go before the install of Out of Kansas at The Lit and Phil, Jodie and I had a busy day finishing the work in readiness to be transported to The Lit and Phil in the afternoon.

Trimming the excess vinyl off one of the moveable sculptures