of Melbourne, Australia
Work in progress:
Pawn Cocktail
November 2001
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Completed in November 2001, was a new sculpted feature vessel (comprising 19 pieces!) which is entitled "Pawn Cocktail". Despite the word-play in the title, there is a serious side to this piece. The game of chess represents a conventional war where the game board represents the battlefield and the pieces are analogous to the traditional roles of people at war, with the pawns representing the ordinary foot soldier. Taking up this idea, the sculpture is an expression of sympathy for the way in which the lives of ordinary folk are swept up in situations of conflict (such as those currently occurring in the world). The 'chess board' in this piece has been extrapolated into three dimensions, with the 'terrain' rising up like the sea into dangerous rifts and waves and to spout upwards into a 'vortex' resembling the form of a cocktail glass. In this the hapless pawns are tossed while emblems of the opposing forces (depicting the moon and stars - issues quite remote from the rank and file...) are represented as incised motifs on the 'swizzle sticks'. |
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SOME OF THE STEPS IN THE PROCESS: |
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There are several hundred stages involved in producing a work of this type. Here is a small selection of them! |
 Some preparations - the assembly of blocks for the 'chess board'. |
 The long process of clamping up cubes of walnut and beech for the 'vessel'. |
 The lathe work giving form to the 'cocktail glass' and its stem. |
 Fine-sanding of the turned vessel before the next stage of lamination. |
 Fitting together the profile of the base block by block before beginning the carving. |
 An early stage in the process of carving the 'wave' forms onto the base. |
 Turning one of the sixteen pawns (this one is from Australian- grown Holly). |
 Getting the fine detail and the flow of curves in the finishing stages. |
A PICTURE OF THE FINISHED WORK
as it was being prepared for packaging and exhibition:
The finished work was among a number of new pieces included in a group
exhibition at Art Affairs Gallery (21 November - 2 December 2001).
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