Monday, September 8, 2008

Plaster Work



Examples of some of my plaster work from 2007-2008: a exciting, addictive and sometimes very painful way of working.

6 comments:

Guanaguanare said...

Alicia,
I love the sculptural works made of plaster...the second one especially. I don't know if it was not yet completed when you took the photo, but for my own reasons I like the split going down the centre. Would you consider explaining what they were created to represent? And what did you mean by "painful way of working"?
Blessings!

Alicia Milne said...

Hi! So sorry I have taken so long to reply. It is a completed sculpture -The Inescapability of Sharing- that is currently in storage in my 'studio'.It is actually a plaster cast of my self. It is from a series of works I did relating to my body, that includes shrouds and different plaster casts. The method used for this particular sculpture pulls at all the tiny hairs on the body when it is being removed, so at times it is very painful.
Cheers

Guanaguanare said...

Thanks Alicia! I understand. With large works like these, do you sell them or keep them to use in future pieces? I have always found these body casts to be very expressive, very beautiful. Do you prefer the untreated plaster or would you consider electroplating some of the finished pieces?
Blessings!

P.S. What were you communicating with "The Inescapability of Sharing"?

Alicia Milne said...

I am holding on to them to build up a body of work, but if I do need the money and the opportunity presents itself I will sell. I LOVE the untreated plaster. There is so much yet for me to explore with the untreated medium. The architecture inside of the cast is amazing. I have an interest is engaging in more complex procedures in casting, but my current situation does not have the time, space, equipment or money for it.

The entire project looks at my body and the different layers that are being peeled away from it. The layers that influence how one handles the body and how one chooses to display it.

A huge layer is my family. It is inescapable not to share the same spaces, parents, siblings, experiences etc. My 'studio' space is not my own. My assistants are my family members. Thus we all engage in the work and the discussion of the work. In a way the work is as much mine as it is theirs.


So guanaguanare, who are you and what do you do?

Guanaguanare said...

Very interesting. Thanks for your reply, Alicia. I appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts about your work and our society. I have been thinking about your blog and the ideas that you are exploring and I am very encouraged by your honesty and questioning. I look forward to seeing how "De Whitie Talks" develops.

I am El Guanaguanare precisely because I do not want to be associated exclusively with any one ethnic or human group. As a bird, this is a genetic impossibility, so I was happy to exchange all that baggage for a pair of wings and a beak. I do not care to use the word "race." That concept is a fiction, a social construct and has no scientific basis. This does not mean that it is not important. It is as important as we make it, or allow others to make it for us. I am limited therefore to ethnicity. It might be of interest to you that among other inputs, I also have Luso-Trinbagonian ancestry. Although I speak some Portuguese and retain some physical characteristics of my Iberian ancestors, I do not self-identify as being Luso-Trinbagonian. In fact, my own grandfather never referred to himself as being first generation Luso-Trinbagonian. That is a partial answer to your question about who I am. As for what I do, well I think, I read, I am consciously trying to unravel and unlearn the mind fecks which are imposed on us by society. I respect people who ask questions and really want answers, people who share (not impose) their visions, people who are artists and craftsmen and I hope one day to belong completely to the people who are defenders of, and live in sync with, the land and its creatures. It is not my intention to be evasive with these answers. I truly believe that there is nothing more about myself of which I can be certain, at least in this moment, or which would contribute to a truer representation of who I am.
Talk to you soon.
Blessings!

Alicia Milne said...

Guanaguanare,
An artist needs to be constantly discussing her work and engaging in constructive discourse. Thank you for your interest, that in itself is encouraging. Many people question the relevance of my ideas. Unfortunately, I let that get to me more than it should.
So thank you again.