The three dimensional torso jigsaw puzzle that I left you with ten days ago has now been put together. From the beginning the object was not so much to create a work of art but to see if a paper sculpture could be created in the round from a clay master. It worked but many lessons have been learnt in the process. The key ones being:
- To keep all the laminates thin rather than adding heavy laminates. A heavy laminate does not add strength but it does cause distortion.
- To keep the overlaps on each layer as narrow as possible so as to keep the final form a constant thickness.
- To keep the joining tapes thin so as not to add noticeable thickness along the seams. Handmade paper depends on fibers for strength.
- Use narrow strips for the concave areas and undercuts so as to avoid the paper pulling taught and bridging over the section as it dries.
The completed torso is extremely strong - you can't break it - and yet it weighs only 1 lb (one pound). In comparison the same torso in plaster would weigh over 120 lbs and in bronze 350 lbs. I will have more to say about comparisons in terms of cost and permanence, etc. in a future post.
The challenge now is to explore the creative potential of handmade paper as a sculptural material: freedom of form, texture and colour, rather then try to make this unique material conform to something it is not.
I have used a slender aluminium rod as a support.
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