16.12.20 - Plaster Horseshoe Crabs

This first horseshoe crab was made with only plaster so there are no objects or other things showing through the surface - I think it looks quite eerie in full white but I wonder how it would look if painted or worked into.

 

My process for the next 3 crabs was to place the wires and other materials into the mould while trying to push them into small crevices and cover a large area of the surface, then pouring the plaster over the top.

The one with the screws was successful as I had anticipated from the wax samples, because they stayed in place when the plaster was poured over. To expose them slightly further I sanded the surface, and I think this helped to differentiate it from the plain plaster crab that I made first. Since the exhibition is meant to be viewed from above as people walk around the boxes, I wanted to make sure the screws were visible enough so that people could see it without having to get too close.

The next one involved the colourful wires which I laid in the mould in a kind of rainbow pattern but In hindsight I think I should have been more generous with how much I put in because the wires don't weigh much and float up into the plaster, meaning there are few visible on the surface so I want to sand this one down more to help reveal the colours.

The final one is made up of random objects, including parts from the wind-up toy and pegs from a plug, and pieces of cut up cable.

As soon as I poured the plaster into the mould I could see the bits of cable float up so I was unsure how successful this one would be. I think it turned out fairly well because you can still see a lot of the other things like fuses and pieces of metal. My next step will be to try different arrangements of the crabs in the box for the exhibition.


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