I found a very large, heavy bronze lamp on the side of the road and realized it was perfect for my project. After making a mold of a light bulb out of alginate, I inserted wicks and poured microwavable soy wax into it, making 3 light bulb shaped candles. Before class, I burned one of them down, allowing the wax to drip down the lamp, just as I hoped it would. Because the wick was off-center, the candle burned down, leaving a shell that recalled the original shape—another happy accident. I presented the piece in a nearly dark room and invited the class to watch my ritual—lighting the stub, watching it burn down slowly until it extinguished itself, then replacing it with another candle.
This symbolized the artificiality of both counterfeits of the sun—candles and their more modern replacement—light bulbs.
No comments:
Post a Comment