Kathy Dalwood - "Aviatrix" Plaster Bust

Kathy Dalwood 9" Bust

Material : Plaster

About the Collection

A 21st century re-interpretation of the historical portrait bust.

The collection is a contemporary response to the traditionally sculpted figurative statues and busts of the 18th and 19th centuries, but rather than sculpting in clay or stone, the busts are made by direct casting from real things.

To construct the original sculpture from which the plaster casts are taken, I first ‘collage’ together all kinds of materials and found objects – fabrics, haberdashery, model buildings and vehicles, plastic packaging, corrugated card, paper, electrical and plumbing parts and much else. The plaster casts made from these originals pick up an amazing amount of texture and detail giving the sculptures a strange air of realism.

The idea of placing architectural monuments, iconic landmarks and random objects on the headdresses was inspired by the intriguing 18th century fad of decorating hats with very large scale, incongruous objects - famously Marie Antoinette adorned a hat with
a huge ship in full sail.