Douglysium

Project 3:  “Coppered Forge”

Keeping in with the theme of change, getting the chance to mess with metal for an art piece was quite interesting. Partially because metal, stone and earth are often associated with being unchanging or unmoving. If something is “written in stone” it cannot change. However, as time goes on and as we understand more about the world around us, it becomes clear that metal and stone, especially softer ones, can actually be pretty malleable and are constantly changing. Erosion from air, water and other elements constantly happens at all times and some metals, like copper, are prone to rusting given enough time. This piece doesn’t attempt to just explore how a metal, such as copper, changes from rust but also how it itself facilitates change. The most notable way in which it does this is through technology. Copper, cobalt, and other metals are used everywhere for all kinds of electronics.

#douglysiumart #traditionalart #etching

1: An image etched onto a plate of copper. Although hard to make out, it is supposed to be a cauldron with the letters CU emblazoned on it along with the number 29. Within the cauldron is a spool of wires wound around something containing bubbling molten metal releasing smoke. From this pool something that resembles a cross between a tree and wires is sprouting out, at the end of which are various forms of electronics. Leaning on the cauldron is a pickaxe and at the bottom of the cauldron there is a crack from which molten metal resembling the shape of roots leaks into the ground, or metal ore being sucked into the cauldron from the ore in the stratified ground. On either side of the cauldron there are waves resembling depictions of signals radiating outward. In the background there are poles holding up power cables.