W-M-C at Friston House

The sculpture was commissioned by Barchester Healthcare plc for Friston House. I used the same construction method as I did for Eve and Jane. The head was modelled three times life-size in plaster over a steel armature. Once the plaster former was made I decided where to divide the head so the welded sections would not lock to the former. I used the steel jig I made for Eve so I could bend lengths of 6mm steel rod to a consistent curvilinear line. This line was then laid over the former and bent along various decided anchor points to follow the topography of the former below. When the next line was made they were welded together and the process was repeated until that section was completed. Eventually the whole head was covered and the sections could be released from the former and finally welded together. Friston House is a residential care home where many of the residents have dementia. The head, title and methodology all relate to the condition. The title stands for “Wife-Mother-Carer” which relates to a majority of residents and staff, as most tend to be female. The aesthetic and methodology refer to the condition. The apparent confusion of the serpentine aesthetic as opposed to the cognitive reasoning of the methodological puzzle.