Wire person experiment

After my previous experiment of creating a miniature flood victim using a bin bag, paired with my research on Khalil Chishtee, I was inspired to create a life size model of a flood victim using a bin bag.
I decided to use wire as my base as this is a strong yet flexible material that would allow me to build up layers and shape them into the form of a person.

Once i had formed a basic head and shoulders shape with the wire, I began coating it with paper mache. I also explored using different fabrics, however it was difficult to give the form shape with them. I wanted to include enough detail for the face to be seen through the plastic bag and look life like, but not enough to give the form too much of an identity. 
Once happy with the piece I coated it in PVA glue, and then slid it inside a bin bag. I experimented with how tightly I pulled the bag around the piece, and decided that sticking it down tightly to the form was most effective. I really like how this gives it a suffocated, sinister aesthetic that I feel will catch people attention and draw them in.

I like how the creases of the bag are very dynamic and give a sense of life to the form, particularly around the neck where it appears very constricting. This suggests the struggle the flood victims may face when trying to trek through deep water; they may struggle to breathe; become lost and disorientated; feel very constricted or maybe panic stricken. I feel the use of the bin bag takes a hint of life out of the suggested person, as if they have become a very basic, plastic, emotionless robot having to push on through the hard times they face. It also connoted how the plastic bag is a form of protection in this situation, as I mentioned in a previous post.
If I were to do this experiment again I would use an image of a persons head or a mirror to ensure the proportions and composition of the head, shoulders and features were more accurate, as I feel this is a downfall of the finished product. I would also have waited for the paper mache to dry before placing the bag over it, as it is now taking a very long time to dry out and so is still squidgy and beginning to loose some of its form.

When placed onto the floor the piece had a lot of presence and proved very eye catching, which led me onto wondering if I could create a small group of these models to heighten the enigmatic, eerie, thought provoking aesthetic and atmosphere the model creates.


The work was inspired by all of the artists I have so far looked at, but particularly Khalil Chishtee. His work influenced me to create a captivating human form, which I chose to be a flood victim as this links to my theme of floods. I aimed to capture the victimhood and struggles of the people affected by the floods by my use of the bin bag and the form of the body. I feel I have successfully done this, but in a slightly different way to Chishtee. Instead of using ripped withering bags to cover my sculpture, I have put my own twist on Chishtee's idea by using the bag in a restricting and suffocating way, as this more closely links with my theme of floods and the struggles these victims may face.