‘Tetrapods’

‘Tetrapods’ - Slipcast hand-carved bone china forms.

Materials:- Bone china, concrete (base).
Dimensions:- w22× d15× h16cm

A common feature around the coast of Japan, is the use of ‘Tetrapod’ coastal defence systems – where multitudes of identical interlocking cast concrete forms are placed in piles to act as ‘break-waters’. My ‘biomorphic’ four limbed modules settle naturally amongst one another, locking themselves together into one unified mass, just like the rather ‘cold’ and austere concrete versions that inspired them.

'Tetrapods' - Four stages in making.
Making.

The process of slipcasting requires that a plaster mould is made in order to cast multiples of a given form and before this a ‘master’ form is first modeled (in this case clay) from which the first mould is taken.
'Tetrapods' - Multiple slipcast 'blank' forms drying prior to carving.
For more on how I create my works, take a look over on my Instagram feed where there are a number of posts about my making methods. Click the Instagram icon below to visit.