Memorial casting

For several years I have been visiting and taking photographs of the gunning placements in Orkney at Hoxa Head and Shapinsay recording their deterioration.

There are a number of reasons I am drawn to them:

• The story of their creation, use and abandonment
• Their ugly harsh brutal beauty
• The colours and textures that have formed (interiors and exteriors) as they slowly crumble and disintegrate

Recently I have been considering how I might make an artwork that will make others aware of their existence and then question their past function and role in WW2.

I have decided upon sculpting small scale replicas in wax which I would then cast in lead employing the lost wax process. These would then be mounted onto plinths of wood that I had found on the beach.
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Speaking to my lecturers at Gray’s they were excited that I wanted to try some casting but were concerned about the toxicity of the lead. I was told to research and reconsider my choice of metal. Having spoken to the head technician Phil Chaplain who amongst other things has used brass hinges to make casts I came upon the idea of looking for spent brass artillery shells. Not only would brass be a suitable metal for casting but the shells would be a symbolic memorial.