copper

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Art Design

A Mesmerizing Kinetic Sculpture Twists and Writhes in Perpetual Spiraling Motion

All images © Tom Lawton, shared with permission

Set atop an aluminum turntable, a spiraling sculpture by British artist Tom Lawton translates a simple mathematic concept into a hypnotic dance. “Wonder” is a sleek copper work of rounded twists based on the shape of a torus or a circular form with a hole in the middle, a donut being a prime example. Lawton’s design coils around an imagined central axis, creating a continual organic movement propelled by an electric motor.

From his workshop in rural Wiltshire in the Cotswolds, the artist just launched a Kickstarter for the meditative works. You can also see a larger version of “Wonder” inside the historic Malmesbury Abbey, and find more of Lawton’s projects on his site.

“Wonder” in Malmesbury Abbey

Art Craft

Vessels of Woven Copper Wire by Sally Blake Mimic the Patterns of Natural Lifeforms

All images © Sally Blake, shared with permission

From her studio in Canberra, Australian artist Sally Blake (previously) twists and plaits copper wire into baskets and sculptures evocative of the organic matter ubiquitous around the planet. Seed pods, sprawling networks of bulbous pockets and thin, sinuous veins, and mammalian bronchial systems emerge from the malleable material, and through intricately woven motifs, Blake accentuates the tension between delicacy and resilience inherent to natural life. “Visualisation of the natural laws and patterning that hold people in relationship with Earth, as well as the consequences of these unravelling, is my focus,” she tells Colossal. “I feel deeply about disconnections in human understanding and care of the natural world, which result in environmental crises”

Currently, Blake is working on metallic vessels for a solo show opening on October 20 at Canberra’s Grainger Gallery, in addition to sculptures for a group exhibition in Sydney later this fall. She has a few baskets, in addition to stitched pieces and other two-dimensional works, available in her shop, and you can follow her latest projects—which include drawing all of the world’s owl species—on Instagram.

Art

In a Patterned Menagerie, Artist Anne Lemanski Stitches Printed Papers into Animal Forms

“Painted Wolf” (2019), copper rod, archival pigment print on paper, artificial sinew, 39 x 47 x 15 inches. All images by Steve Mann, © Anne Lemanski, shared with permission

Constellations, butterflies, and bold checkered prints overlay the animalistic forms by Anne Lemanski. Beginning with a copper armature, the North Carolina-based artist stretches vintage paper or patterns of scanned objects across a minimal metal form and stitches the edges together into a geometric patchwork.

Ranging from abstract shapes to illustrations and photos, the printed motifs evoke each character’s temperament, presence, and overall essence. “Stella Terra,” for example, is sheathed in white paper, and images of animals and objects speckle the ephemeral material similar to the spotted coat of the live Appaloosa counterpart. “My interest as of late has been pattern and color and the way it juxtaposes with the form when I take a three-dimensional object (like matches, toothpicks, or straws), make a new two-dimensional pattern with that object, then compose the two-dimensional pattern onto the three-dimensional form,” Lemanski says.

Some of the artist’s animals are on view in a group exhibition at Penland Gallery through September 17, and others are included in a forthcoming book devoted to North Carolina’s art culture. Find more of the ephemeral creatures on Instagram. (via Women’s Art)

“Fennec Fox (Dog Star)” (2009), copper, ink on paper, artificial sinew, 17 1/2 x 14 x 12 inches

“Gaudy Sphinx” (2014), copper rod and paper, 7 x 16 x 13 inches

“Camoufleur” (2014), copper rod, vintage paper targets, epoxy, 17 1/2 x 15 x 8 1/2 inches

“Tigris” (2018), copper rod, archival print on paper, artificial sinew, epoxy, plastic, 64 x 61 x 30 inches

Detail of “Tigris” (2018), copper rod, archival print on paper, artificial sinew, epoxy, plastic, 64 x 61 x 30 inches

“Mink” (2021), copper rod, archival inkjet on paper, artificial sinew

“Stella Terra” (2022), copper rod, Mohawk cover board, inkjet print on paper, artificial sinew, 80 x 80 x 20 inches

“Jackrabbit” (2015), pigment print on paper, copper rod, 27 1/2 x 26 x 9 inches

Art Design History

Balloons Inflate Around Copper Forms in a Playful Reinterpretation of the Enigmatic Venus Figures

All images © Reddish Studio, shared with permission

Although research suggests the ancient Venus figurines were created as totems of survival amid a changing climate, the enigmatic forms continue to puzzle historians, their exact cultural context and relevance unknown. The mysterious statues, with exaggerated physical features like large, distended bellies and generally plump appendages, recently inspired a playful project by Naama Steinbock and Idan Friedman, the designers behind Reddish Studio based in Tel Aviv-Jaffa.

Titled “Venus of Jaffa,” the series interprets the prehistoric sculptures as lighthearted, impermanent forms. Each figure is structured with a thin, copper frame designed to hold a balloon. Once inflated, the latex—the studio used neutral tones to evoke both flesh and the original earthenware—puffs around the armature to form the supple curves of a female body. In a statement, the studio describes the works, which were originally shown at Jerusalem Design Week 2022:

This project is meant to spark curiosity while referencing both the archeological finds and the way they take part in our current culture with their bespoke museum displays… While the archeological Venus statuettes have survived tens of thousands of years, the new addition to their dynasty is only ephemeral and has the lifespan of a party decoration.

For more from Reddish Studio, visit its site. (via designboom)

Art

Copper Wire Weaves and Spirals into Organic Sculptural Forms by the Late Artist Bronwyn Oliver

“Ammonite” (2005), copper, 95 x 90 x 90 centimeters. All images courtesy of the artist and Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney, shared with permission

Widely regarded as one of the most renowned sculptors in Australia, the late artist Bronwyn Oliver possessed an unparalleled ability to shape thin copper wire into intricate patterns. Her sculptures of ammonites, palm leaves, and single buds are minimal in form and incredibly detailed in construction, with oscillating lines delineating the edge of a fossil or an elaborate web expanding into a plump cherry blossom.

Evidence of Oliver’s devoted and time-consuming practice, the pieces are the result of intense twisting and brazing, a higher-temperature version of soldering. “My sculpture, I like to think of them as the bones of something. It might only be bone, but it might be the beginning or ending of something as well,” the artist says in a clip from the recent documentary about her life and work, The Shadows Within—the trailer is available on YouTube, but the full documentary is only streaming in Australia at the moment.

Oliver has gained greater recognition in recent years and is included in the corrective exhibition held at The National Gallery of Australia. Know My Name, which runs through June 26, showcases works from dozens of women who’ve significantly contributed to the country’s culture. Oliver’s sculptures are housed in major Australian collections, including those at The National Gallery, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and the National Gallery of Victoria, and her public pieces can be seen at Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden, the University of New South Wales, and Queen Street Mall in Brisbane. (via Women’s Art)

“Fringe” (2006), copper, 107 x 107 x 10 centimeters

“Sakura” (2006), copper, 48 x 48 x 20 centimeters

“Globe” (2002), copper, 2.5 meters in diameter

“Grandiflora (Bud)” (2005), copper, 60 x 58 x 58 centimeters

Left: “Palm” (1999), copper, 190 x 180 x 180 centimeters. Right: “Magnolia” (1999), copper, 210 x 150 x 150 centimeters

“Grandiflora (Bloom)” (2005), copper, 63 x 63 x 55 centimeters

“Eyrie” (1993), copper, bronze, 500 x 200 x 50 centimeters

Art Craft

Folds in Recurring Patterns Form the Tessellated Origami Sculptures by Goran Konjevod

All images © Goran Konjevod, shared with permission

Whether folding flat, square tessellations or rounded forms that billow from a central point, origami artist  Goran Konjevod (previously) focuses on the tension inherent in a single sheet of material. His sculptures draw on his background in mathematics and computer science and configure precise geometries, fanned pleats, and small woven pieces that appear to be individual strips threaded together rather than a series of carefully aligned creases. Each form is a meticulous blend of texture, pattern, and dimension that’s translated into elegant, abstract constructions through repetitive folds.

In recent months, Konjevod has shifted to working with paper infused with encaustic paint, although he’s also created an array of knotted creatures, twisted ropes, and small vessels out of thin sheets of copper, other metals, and mesh. You can find hundreds of his sculptures on his site, and take a peek into his process on Instagram.