Project Ability presents: Wild Thing
| Project Ability, is taking part in Museums and Galleries Month 2004 by presenting Wild Thing, an exhibition of weird and wonderful sculptures of animals created from wire and papier mâché. The exhibition features sculptures by six Project Ability artists ranging in age from seventeen years old to over seventy. Jonathan Beatts, Cameron Morgan, John Cocozza, Ronnie McCulloch, Robert Reddick and Robert McCamley worked with ceramic artist Susan O' Byrne in an intensive week-long workshop to create life-size models of wildebeest, deer, bats, foxes, owls, and even a praying mantis.
Explaining why animals were chosen as the theme for the workshops, Susan O'Bryne said: “ Animals are an important metaphor in my work… Having an emotional connection for many children, they can be a comfort for some in childhood and old age. Animal stories help streamline complicated adult life and feelings, while their various names, behaviour, body shapes and patterns can open up and develop a child's imagination and learning".
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The group began the project by drawing the animals they wished to sculpt, then they twisted and tied bunches of “withies” (stripped willow) into the skeletal shape of the animals. Once the “skeletons” were created the group covered them in a skin of papier mâché. This created a sculptural canvas upon which the artists then worked more abstractly with paint or collage. Susan commented: “Working on this project reminded me that papier mâché, though a humble medium, can be almost as versatile as clay, and can be used to produce both highly dynamic and subtle work.” She added, “an integral part of this exhibition is the film which follows these works in progress; it captures the individual pieces as they evolve from drawings to 3D linear structures, before developing into skeletons then fully formed sculptures."