Ideas behind “Cast Shadows”:

1. The process of casting iron is a fleeting event that leaves residue in different ways. Works submitted address this phenomenon in various way.
2. Artists who utilize cast iron produce “permanent” products in iron not only as work unto itself, but also as document to the event.

3. Iron casting process is connected to a long history of metal art, industry, and human history. Cast iron artworks are in a sense living in the shadows cast by this rich past. As well, contemporary artists are casting their own shadows onto those around and into the future.

4. There is a digital relationship between the curators from Illinois and North Carolina. There is a line like a cast shadow from a sundial that goes back and forth between Denton and Akagawa, two gnomon.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Veronica Plankers


Spinal Trap
Iron and steel. 28 1/2'' x 7'' x 6''

Spinal Trap illustrates a struggle for validation. The spine symbolizes a burly structure that emanates strength. Casting the spine in iron supports this idea with the material’s enduring presence. This piece was cast in Birmingham, Alabama at SLOSS Furnaces with ECU’s elected furnace, Fe Faru. The product of this experience held great importance for myself as a sculptor.

Iron casting has been a brief part of my experience as an artist but has left a heavy impression on the way I approach my art.  The process of casting has introduced an appreciation for not only the physical effort that the process demands, but also dedication and persistence that are humbling. I can only hope that my offering to this craft can be accepted as a reverence to those who have ignited the passion within our hearts to continue this rich tradition.  

1 comment:

  1. Very nice Miss Plankers, as you progress in welding, you may want to try the sculpting in bronze. Check out the figures in the show case at school. Dick Bowie

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