SKIN

The invisible application of fabric onto the clay idol is an art that takes practice. The thinnest of cotton cloth is ripped up into small strips of approximately 8 cm x 15 cm. One by one these are laid across the palm and wrist and painted with a liquid clay. In one smooth movement, once fully saturated, the top end of the cloth is grasped with the free hand. Simultaneously, the cloth is pulled along the wrist so that the bottom, now near the figure tips of the first hand, is grasped. With the fabric now held in tension from top and bottom it is laid without wrinkles onto the figure. Pulled across the surface in tension, the thin layer of clay impregnating it also sits on its surface, disguising its very existence. It’s much harder to achieve this than Dada makes it look with his 30+ years of experience. Preventing the fabric rippling and sticking to itself are the biggest challenges.

This is a technique I’d like to master and introduce into my own practice and I plan to set aside some more time to develop my skills on my return to the UK. Whilst I’d like to become competent in losing the wrinkles and imperfections, I also see potential in their integration into a surface design. I’ve been making some work at home dipping fabric in to wax and so this technique is resonating.

The hands and feet are not covered in the fabric layer. It stops on the wrist. Again, I think about how fragile these protrusions must be and prone to damage. I now know that on the larger forms the hands are cast with the stronger clay and husk mix but even so...

Monday 16th March 2020