7/02/2017 - FOSSIL SCULPTURE PHOTOSHOPS

In my tutor meeting Faye raised issues about the weight of my casts. As I had no specific plan for how to install them, she made me realise that if one was to fall it could potentially cause a lot of damage. She suggested instead I create some photoshopped mock-ups as prototypes for how they would look in-situ, and continue to think about ways I could fix them to the wall in the meantime.

I found some source photography online and used these as the basis for my mock-ups. I also photographed each of the fossils, isolated them from their background and added a faded drop shadow, meaning they could be edited onto any surface and still cast a realistic shadow. I tried to chose photo settings where the fossil sculptures would complement, and also tried to create either a sense of involvement with water or that these fossils were only recently exposed from underground rock.


The mock-ups looked ok, however they were no replacement for an actual street setting. It would have been really tricky for me to have complete faith in safely attaching them to a wall, without test pieces for trial and error. Faye also suggested I attempt to remould the pieces with lighter material, or with some sort of lightweight filling, however due to the nature of the bottle piece as a wasting plaster cast I had no original moulds to start experimenting with materials in. These are all things I will bare in mind for the future however, and I have definitely learned the importance of conducting at least a brief risk assessment before installing street pieces.

My favourite of the mock ups was set in the Underground Gallery of the St Stephens Street underpass (right), which is where I had initially intended them to go when designing the work. As there is already other art here already, pieces survive well, and meet with a positive reception from the public who are already prepared to encounter art.