Second Years had a Jesmonite workshop yesterday.

From Wikipedia:

Jesmonite is a composite material used in fine arts, crafts, and construction. Jesmonite consists of a gypsum-based material in an acrylic resin.

Jesmonite is a versatile material and is used in several different ways. It is typically used for creating sculptures and other three-dimensional works, but can also be used with other materials as a ground for painting. It can also be used as a surface material in building and construction. It is considered an attractive alternative to other resin-based materials, such as polyester and fiberglass. It can be used for casting and laminating. It is considered durable, flame resistant, and resistant to impact. It can be used to fabricate both small and large objects. When mixed, it accepts colored pigments and metal powders. Its surface can be finished to resemble plaster, stone, metal, and wood.

more info here
http://www.tersus.co.uk/

LEVEL 2 ARE PREPARING to present their ideas to the National Trust for this year's site specific project for Trelissick Gardens

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/trelissick-garden/

Liama is thinking of growing something on a tree

Simon is working directly with leaves casting them in copper

Natalie's planning some kind of architectural intervention






 

Tom wants to make a curious interactive piece.

Lucy Foakes Who Makes the-
 






came in on Friday to talk to students about life outside of Uni

Lucy spoke of inspiration and of being busy. The pros and cons of accepting opportunities, to blog or not to blog.

We Had a cup of coffee (each)

Answering questions with other speakers all grads in Design at Falmouth 
From Left- Kathryn Tyler http://www.linea-studio.co.uk/ 
a brilliant Interior designer based in Falmouth
Lucy http://lucyjanefoakes.blogspot.com/
and Jesse Horne http://www.coroflot.com/jessehorne
graduate from 3D Design
Lottie Warren who works for Boex in Cornwall
And the rising young garden designer Hugo Bugg http://www.hugobugg.com/

A group of level 3 students went to Plymouth Museum and art Gallery on Wednesday this week 

showing their responses to the Chinoiserie project completed in the winter term. Selected work will be placed in the cabinets in the porcelain galleries during the Sinoptican Exhibition in April. 

SEE~

http://www.sinopticon.org/

http://www.plymouth.museum sinopticon.  

Students had a short slot each to pitch their ideas to Alison Cooper Keeper of Art at Plymouth Museum and Eliza Gluckman the Sinoptican show's curator. We hope to hear the results quite soon, this is a great opportunity for selected students given the significance of the exhibition, featuring Grayson Perry amongst others, so good luck everyone!

Some of the work presented

Rhiannon Palmer.  concrete and porcelain

Kate Boardman. Pheasant feathers and styrene foam

Ashley Thompson. Porcelain

Nadia Medani. Laser-etched bone, copper found materials.

Teacher, metalsmith and crafts researcher John Grayson came in on Thursday and Friday this week 

John works through a range of material and disciplines including the printed tin automata he is largely known for (although he admits that he is really moving away from this work nowadays).

John gave a great talk on his practice

here he's talking about an enamel piece A Trifle from Bilston, work developed and enabled through working with a midlands enamel factory.

John Grayson, A Present for the People of England

 Another enamel piece drawing on the political resonances found in Georgian snuff boxes.

John also gave a workshop on some pewter techniques, to help with the Pewter Live competition- open to second years.
(we usually do quite well so fingers crossed for this year)
http://www.pewterers.org.uk/pewter_live/pewterlive2012.html

                   
 

   In the workshop Rolling

The results

 
Fly-pressing

Fly-pressdo!

 Casting with Silligum




I know people took some more photos of the workshop so I'll put em up when I get them

Level One Materials Rotation work - fine metal curious tool project

Jack Stiling Level 1 Crafts made this - a great help for busy Victorian inventors..

Tired of having to constantly dip your nib, when you are in the midst of noting down you most ingenious marvel yet? The Engineer's Scribe has it covered. The gents at the patent office will be aghast at how fast you will be throwing your inventions at them. With its automatically fed ink chamber and fully adjustable riveted system, the Engineer's Scribe will not only able you to write continuously, but press on with your work at the same time. Using only the finest copper, brass and gilding metal, it is constructed by hand, soldered and hammered into shape to create a seemingly indestructible piece, ready for the vigorous tasks it will be put through when in use.

More from the same project

Beatrix Baker

Amy Jones

My fish helmet was made with the idea of fish being able to defend them selves against getting caught by a fishing hook, or on the idea that crazy animal rights people could put these on fishes heads, so fishermen couldn't catch them. It was supposed to be a kind of funny idea as well because obviously fish would sink with this on their heads! I hope that descriptions OK- its all i can think of to say about it........

Sophie Jarram

Rebecca Avery

NOSE WARMER: I designed it to combat cold noses on winter days, for people who want to stay on trend with fashion! It is lined with leopard print fur and has a handy 'on off' switch on the front.

Jamie Collins

Matt Durran  Lecture

Matt came in the other day to talk to students and staff about his glass practice including his significant work with the NHS

Debbie Horscroft level 1 Crafts attended the lecture and had this to say

Matt Durran (artist, curator and glass innovator), developed his ideas of making glass moulds for medical science. The NHS approached him to make prosthetic noses, so he uses his own nose for the initial experiments, as the original noses were too “clown” like! He passed these samples around the audience which were intriguing as I sniffed them and touched them with my finger as the person next to me did before passing the tray to me. They were meant to be life like, and they were made for patients who lost their own limbs and body parts through cancer. This made it even more fascinating! 

Durran uses a 3d computer image which is scanned in to make the mould. It is grafted onto the clients arm for a year so cells and blood vessel attach prior to transplanting to the patients face. 

Durran uses glass as it is sterile, inert and transparent which is an ideal material to use for medical science as it makes it easier for doctors to check for cell growth.

I was fascinated with this lecture, but at the same time it made me feel squeamish at times especially when he showed slides of real operations!

 Debbie Horscroft 

http://www.mattdurran.com/flashindex.htm

you can see Matt talking on this Power of Making Video from the V&A

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/videos/p/power-of-making-chef-jacquy-pfeiffer/

 

 

Level One materials Rotations mould making workshops.

 

Mould making from plaster models created by turning and running. Part of the level 1 introduction to materials and processes.

Finishing mould that will then be used to slip cast ceramic pieces.

Glaze and surface decoration demo as part of the same project

Marbling effects with coloured slips and glazes

Lisa Bate (graduated 2009) Came in this week to talk to level 3 about her recent Northlands Glass metal and glass casting residency, it sounded amazing: Lisa said she learnt so much and met some really inspiring people. The iron casting process was particularly interesting quite physically demanding and a real experience, see the photos in the flickr link below

Here's some photos on flckr of Lisa and fellow artist in residence Katya Filmus, Kate Hobby and Clare Flatley   

Glass and Metal residency 

http://www.northlandsglass.com/whats-on/residencies

Lisa specialises in kiln formed glass and metalwork, producing both static and kinetic sculpture. Lisa was awarded an Honorary Diploma from the Jutta Cuny-Franz Foundation in 2011, exhibited at The British Glass Biennale in 2010, and most recently her sculpture Genera Nucleation III was selected by the Jury for the Zwieseler Kolbl Wild Dreams exhibition for the European Advancement Award for Young Glass Artists