The sculptures which went through an annealling process produced some interesting forms. To my reflief and excitement the 57 faceted diamond mould that I worried had been destroyed by overheating turned out to be ok. The sculpture had sunk in the mould because air bubbles that normally get trapped within in the sculptures were given the chance to slowly escape, which reduced the volume of the sculpture. the outside of the sculpture looked different to preeiovus things that I had cast. It was dull instead of a black gloss surface and the geometric forms of the diamond facets were imprinted around the sculpture.
Had I managed to complete the cycle?
Solid – Liquid – Solid
Rock – Magma – Lava – Rock
My instincts were hopeful but, as I mentioned before, I am not confident with geology. This project has inspired a selective learning which is progressive but not complete and I am aware of the gaps.
So off to Bristol University, to meet Jonathan Hanson who has offered to help me cut this misnomer in half. I hope a cross-section will reveal a clearer definition of what composit has been created. After a quick chat, we head down to the basement of the Wills building. A wondrous workshop filled with engineer grade machines. The machine to help certify this potential rock is an sludge green, diamond tipped, water fed ‘Tyslide’ circular saw. After donning a white lab coat and safety specks Jonathan Hanson prepares the sculpture to be cut. After a sharp squeal lowing to a deep hum, the machine is primed as the jets spray water onto the spinning cutting disc. The sculpture is slid towards the disc and a loud grinding sound fills the room as the saw slowly eats through the material. After a minute, it becomes obvious that this sculpture is not made of the same brittle fragile glass from previous attempts. It is hard, really hard.
After 25 minutes Jonathan stops and states that this is one of the hardest things he has ever cut. We early decide the rock has to be a rock. Filled with glee, I excitedly wait for the moment to see what the inside looks like. It is another 57 minutes before Jonathan manages to cut all the way through. At the last moment a tell tell sign reveals that the material is still glass as it fractures and the corner breaks off. Slightly disappointed it wasn’t rock, I wasn’t expecting the beautiful patterns inside the sculpture. The diamond tipped saw leaves a very smooth surface which allows you to see crystals or patterns within rocks and this sculpture is certainly unique revealing a frozen pattern of brown and black swirls separating from each other.
