Heddwch

My relationship to the horse altered slowly over time by increments too small to understand but felt in the body and by the hand that tirelessly re-worked its form. Its proud stance shifted becoming simpler, more embodied in peace then war. At this time I would often break apart the wax model of the horse. The position of the head and neck altered to find a new arc, a subtle tilt or flex in the muscle would be the shift its presence from a timid restraint to an unbolded force. By experimentation I found I could point towards something deeper in the horses gaze, more reflective, patient and caring. Small adjustments of the body did the same, reducing the drama of its physicality, its pride or power for something quieter and more resolute. What is preposterous is the idea that these nuances of emotion and physical cadence are achieved by pushing, pulling, cracking and breaking a waxen surface that is inanimate, cold and unconcerned by such efforts. This horse is not perfect by any means and most definitely not the typical example of the equestrian ideal but for me it became a perfect emblem of peace.

Heddwch was cast using historical methods more commonly associated with the medieval and renaissance periods than the present. The wax initial model was made with beeswax and pine resin; the casting mould from clay, hair, and brick dust; the bronze from gathered and recycled metals, previous casts, industrial waste, bullet and mortar shells.  With these ingredients the modern day aesthetic for purity and precision had been exchanged for the rich vigour and marks left by the casting process of a different time. What we would today describe as casting flaws are to my mind evidence of moments of the exquisite dance between material and process, intention and desire.  

There is a deeper irony here because throughout its long history bronze has been the primary medium of war and all bronze sculptures are unwittingly and inherently bound to that darker past by the very process that makes it. From the first arrowhead that pierced the flesh to the canon that broke the walls, bronze has been the engine of war in almost all cultures around the world. It is also no surprise that the casting process contains imagery analogous to the violence seen in the heat of battle. The red wax used to model the sculpture bleeds from the casting mould like an open wound when heated in the kiln. Bronze recycled from redundant casts are broken in the fire and melted in the punishing heat of the furnace. And once the bronze is cast, that same casting mould from which the wax wept is violently broken to release the nascent anima within. However, it is important to recognise that bronze’s other great quality is as the preferred medium for some of the most prestigious and sacred works of art. A material that has been the cause of so much pain in the world also can touch the heart and reflect the depths and wonder of human nature.  The horse has become a metaphor, a sublimation from pain to peace. Resolute in its patience the horse stands with a steady gaze and says I am with you, I will not leave.