Suspended.
The Construction
If I was asked to sum up the experience of creating this piece into three words, it would have to be trial and error. Before this sculpture I had never attempted to sculpt a full human figure before, let alone one that is life sized. I had, however, at my previous institution made a hollow tape figure, by creating molds of each body part, and reassembling them to create a humanoid that utilized the negative space of the taped pieces. Drawing from this experience I figured I could use a similar technique to create a mold to spray foam into. My main concerns revolve around weight, proportions, and scale. By using both a real human as a model, and spray foam as a casting material I solved all these issues, and ran into a few new ones along the way. As it turns out, spray foam doesn't cure from the air itself, but rather the water molecules that come along with oxygen. Learning this the hard way I ended up with a couple of really gooey legs that would never fully cure as they were in an air tight mold. A fairly simple solution saved the day- a spray bottle filled with water.
By casting the mold in layers of spray foam, and adding water as I went I had a bunch of body parts that were ready to be assembled. Aside from the water and the chemical reaction that causes the foam to set, I also learned about open and closed foam cell structures. An open cell structure makes for flexible and squishy foam, where a closed cell structure will create a solid block that offers little to no give. There is also an importance in the density of foam. Cheap spray foam often has an irregular cell structure, causing gaping holes, and brittle inflexible foam. Whereas something with a bit more plastic or latex content will create a dense, more unified cell structure. This density proved to be vital in the assembly, and carving of the body.
With a fully foamed human I began covering her in plaster with the intent to carve out each muscle group by hand (spoiler I got like halfway through before I gave up). She would also be covered within a giant sheet of latex that had to be poured in multiple sections. Both the body and her sheet of skin were painted by hand. The latex would not take to paint, so I drew on my special effects background and found some alcohol activated paints. This created a translucent colorant that worked perfectly for veins and the imperfect human flesh finish. Both the sheet of latex, and the human body were painted with a giant musculature and vascular system references at my side. The suspension itself was the next problem to tackle, and one that I was the most nervous about. Luckily for me, I had some amazing artists who were well versed with hanging heavy items from the ceiling. Sheila Whitsett and Christopher Mahonski were vital in this technical feat. Without them Suspended would have simply been floor bound.
