Building from my clay experimentation and my experiences of discovering wishing logs, I began to test using the process of embedding and adding coins to objects to create sculptural forms. I kept to ideas which I had tested previously to form a base shape from clay using only my hands and my imagination to generate a form which I found appealing and indicative of a organic form. I then set off on a process which as it has evolved has become ritualistic way of working.
To gather my coins I had to take money which I posses to the bank to change for bags of pennies. Whilst doing this I began to contemplate how now each of these hundreds of pennies, which I now possessed, had previously been owned and handled by thousands of other people and thus bringing together untold stories.
I then used these bags of pennies to encrust my clay forms, whilst doing this I tried to follow a set pattern and kept track of how many pennies I used so I could remember at the end what the worth of each sculpture was.
Once I had finished the making stage of these I then had to wait to see how these would dry and harden and how the physical properties of the clay would affect the clay, and conversely how well the clay would be able to withstand the weight of the pennies which had been forced into it.
The top images show examples of these forms which I felt were successful and were promising for further development and ideas. However, as a essential part of the experimentation, I did experience some failures.
These images show how I had taken the aged coins, which I collected and experimented with cleaning them, using vinegar. This did work instantly and I was extremely interested by the uncovering of the pure pinkish shades of the copper, even the on the oldest coins. I also contemplated this as a part of a cleansing ritual to remove the past associations with the coins, making them all equal. However I found that once I left them and used them in clay they quickly began to darken in colour again and also the acid left on the coins affected the clay.
This image below shows the failed example.
To try to compliment the cleanliness of the cleaned coins I tried using a different type of clay to the earthware clay I had previously used of I used DAS white air-drying clay. This was unsuccessful however for multiple reasons;
- The form- I decided that instead of using simple block forms I wanted to experiment with creating a hollow jug like form as I was interested by ancient decorative pottery and folk art. However the thin sides could not cope with the weight of the coins and therefore became quickly distorted.
- The clay- This clay dried much quicker and was much drier than the earthware clay and therefore didn't suit this process as it takes time to properly embed the coins therefore by having time constraints to need to work much quicker I was not able to stick to a pattern.
- The colours- Though I found the shine and new colour of the coins interesting when isolated, for the affect I was intended to create they appear too conspicuous and artificial, especially in contrast with the white clay.
However, I did not consist this process a waste of time as I felt that I had learnt more about the constraints and limits of the process I was working with and now know to put my confidence into my previous process.
