Exploring the Art of Casting: Te Tuhi Pre-Visit Lesson

1. Welcome Thank you for using this pre-visit resource. We believe this will help strengthen student learning leading up to and during your gallery visit. Due to the different versions of PowerPoint schools may use, please check for, and correct any formatting issues before you use this presentation with your students. Please check by viewing in slide show format before making any necessary changes. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me. Learning Experiences Outside the Classrom Te Tuhi Centre for the Arts Phone: (09) 577 0138 ext 7703 jeremy@tetuhi.org.nz Jeremy Leatinu’u Education Coordinator

2. Art with an Artist Te Tuhi pre-visit lesson 3 Image: http://blog.goodasgold.co.nz/post/980346568/tim-chapman-party-on-a-motor-bike-party-time

3. Welcome to Art with an Artist During the next few lessons we will be exploring… • The art of casting Before we start, let’s recap what we learnt during our last lesson… Image:http://www.coca.org.nz/artists/70/

4. Mona Lisa c1503-1519 Painted by Leonardo da Vinci • an original artwork is something that has been crafted by the artist himself or herself. • the word original means something that is first, something not copied from. In the last lesson we learnt… • a copy can look like the original but is not exactly the same. • the word copy means something trying to look exactly like another.

5. Let’s start this lesson by exploring “The art of casting”. Image: http://tiffanysingh.com/shows/medi-tation

6. What is casting and what does it look like? Wax cast Concrete cast Plaster cast Bronze cast Casting is an art making process where an artist makes copy of something else. To make a cast an artist can use materials such as bronze, concrete, wax and plaster to name a few. Image: http://www.clyattsculpture.com/Figurative_sculpture.html http://www.hastingscityartgallery.co.nz/whats-on/trade-me http://larritt-evans.blogspot.co.nz/2011/04/concrete-chesterfield.html http://www.homebasecollections.co.nz/oar-prints/

7. Casting Bronze casting To create a bronze cast the artist first has to make a copy of the sculpture using clay or wax. The bronze metal is heated until it becomes hot liquid. This is then carefully poured into the mould from the top. The artist would then surround the outside of the copy with plaster and more clay, leaving a hole at the top. Once the bronze becomes hard and is cool enough to touch, the clay and plaster is pulled away revealing the bronze sculpture. The mould is put in an oven melting the wax and hardening the clay and plaster. Wax cast Concrete cast Plaster cast Bronze cast Let’s take a look at some artists who have used casting in interesting ways to make art. Choosing the right material can be important to the message the artist wants to make. Bronze and concrete are strong and durable materials that can withstand all sorts of weather. Wax and plaster are light and smooth and can be held by a person easily. With casting there is always a mould and something to fill that mould with, such as bronze, plaster, concrete or wax. Some artists will choose a specific material to cast. This is sometimes based on strength, texture, colour and overall appearance. Image: http://www.clyattsculpture.com/Figurative_sculpture.html http://www.hastingscityartgallery.co.nz/whats-on/trade-me http://larritt-evans.blogspot.co.nz/2011/04/concrete-chesterfield.html http://www.homebasecollections.co.nz/oar-prints/ Image: http://www.clyattsculpture.com/Figurative_sculpture.html http://www.hastingscityartgallery.co.nz/whats-on/trade-me http://larritt-evans.blogspot.co.nz/2011/04/concrete-chesterfield.html http://www.homebasecollections.co.nz/oar-prints/

8. Rachel Whiteread Earlier we saw artist Rachel Whiteread and her concrete cast of an entire house. For this project Rachel decided to spray every inch of the inside of the house with concrete. This included the walls, ceiling, floor, windows, fireplace, stairs and doors. Once the concrete dried and hardened she pulled away the outside of the house, revealing the concrete and impression of the house. Image: http://www.image-identity.eu/artists_images_folder/england/rachel-whiteread http://archiclog.wordpress.com/ http://landscapearchitecture.tumblr.com/page/473

9. Michael Parekowhai New Zealand artist Michael Parekowhai is a well known artist living and working in Auckland city. In 2011 Michael was chosen to represent New Zealand in one of the world’s biggest art shows. For this art show Michael decided to make a life size bronze cast of two grand pianos, both with bronze bulls on top. The artworks reflect Michael’s interest in art that can be seen and heard when played. Bulls are well known in Venice where the art show was held. Image: http://www.ronnieworld.com/Art/Venic-Biennale-2011/17843482_dFKnFM/1/1364518294_mRPLtWz#!i=1364518294&k=mRPLtWz http://christchurchartgallery.org.nz/blog/bunker-notes/2011/12/08/parekowhai-in-paris/ http://www.roslynoxley9.com.au/artists/70/Michael_Parekowhai/1308/44741/

10. Tiffany Singh New Zealand artist Tiffany Singh is well known for her cast artworks made from honey wax. Tiffany casts figures belonging to particular religions that are of personal importance. Depending on the show Tiffany will cast 20-700 wax figures, each with different colours. People play an important part to Tiffany’s art. She often invites gallery visitors to exchange something for one of her artworks. This means the artwork changes from her wax figures to objects and notes left by visitors. Image: http://cleobarnett.com/2011/11/29/artist-you-should-know-tiffany-singh/ http://media.auckland.ac.nz/nicai/finearts/Elamupfront/ http://www.hastingscityartgallery.co.nz/whats-on/tiffany-singh-preserve http://www.creativenz.govt.nz/

11. Let’s recap on what we have learnt so far… As we have seen, ‘copy’ and ‘original’ are to two very different things…

12. What did we learn so far? An original • means something that is first, something not copied from. • artwork is something that has been crafted by the artist himself or herself. A copy • means something trying to look exactly like another. • can look like the original but is not exactly the same. Mona Lisa c1503-1519 Painted by Leonardo da Vinci

13. We look forward to having you all here End of lesson