Cire Perdue



The 2nd Colours Arts Project.
Sunday 9th October 2011.

Took place on Mainguard Street, Galway. Up to 50 Artists were invited to select an art form from a pack of art knowledge cards and present work based on their interpretation of the text. 2011's event hosted a combination of emerging and established Artists and aimed to educate and attract a new audience by displaying art on the street. This event was not possible without the immense help and support of the local arts community and students from The Burren College of Art.


Ben worked with the sculptural process of 'Cire Perdue'.

French for 'lost wax,' this term describes a 5,000-year-old method of casting metal that was used by sculptors in Renaissance Italy. A plaster cast is made of a full-sized clay model. Wax is then applied to the inside of the cast and built up to the desired thickness for the finished piece. After the wax coating is lined with fireproof material, the whole piece is heated so that the wax melts and runs out through channels provided in the fireproof shells, leaving a cavity into which molten metal is poured. The final stage involves removing the shells from the cooled metal and polishing the sculpture. Using this dangerous process to cast the masterpiece 'Perseus with the Head of Medusa,' Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571) set his workshop on fire, which did not deter him from completing the process. The great Donatello (c.1386-1466) prudently had his sculpture cast by bell founders.


Title: Cire Perdue
Medium: 12 x 8 inch photographic print in frame.
Price: 50 euro
Edition: 2/5