MANUALE DI UTILIZZO
DEL MARCHIO
PROCREATE
PROJECT
Claire Hickey, Sculpture
https://methodinthemaking.wordpress.com/
Procreate Project document
by Madeandpublished
http://www.procreateproject.com/
https://madeandpublished.wordpress.com/
Claire Hickey's sculptural practice has started to explore her experience of her son's
In GRAVIDUS I and II, the ‘mould’ captures the action of making within its internal space;
traumatic birth and early motherhood through the creation of embedded casts, waste
whilst its large, solid outer form becomes an almost defensive structure. As the artist’s
moulds and fragile, ruptured forms. Her previous work - GRAVIDUS I & II, was inspired
pregnancy progressed, the work changed in proportion, scale and use of material so that
by her body transforming during pregnancy.
it references rather than simply depicts a stage in the mould-making process. By
GRAVIDUS is a series of work instigated during the artist’s recent pregnancy whilst
removing them from a purely functional role, the ‘mould’ is now elevated to the status of
completing her MA in Art & Design at the School of Art in Birmingham. Inspired by the
the casts they would once create. Utilising plaster and concrete as the main sculptural
mould-making process, these works indirectly reference the changing bodily state during
materials and wood and steel for the work’s display reflects their traditional and
pregnancy.
continuous usage within construction, architecture and sculpture due to their physical
The focus on process and manufacture plays a significant role in both the production of the
properties of solidity and resilience.
work and its inherent meaning. Moulds contain both positive and negative forms within a
In GRAVIDUS, this enduring presence symbolises the universality of pregnancy, whilst
singular, symbiotic unit; as objects of function, they are often overlooked and discarded
the material strength reflects the personal feelings surrounding the relationship of
during the casting process.
female artists and the changing roles they come to inhabit.