Keith Newlove - Sculpture

The ubiquitous crow is the subject of this installation.  This work grew from my entry into the Brooklyn Art Library’s Sketchbook Project, where I selected the crow to be the subject of the journal.  Given the events of 2020 (Covid 19 pandemic), the not so humble crow is the perfect symbol for the year.  (Interestingly I’d already begun the sketchbook before news of the pandemic broke – serendipitous or spooky.)  The crow is at once intelligent and savage, inquisitive and playful, cold and calculating.

The crow is prevalent in many cultures around the world – often as a dark messenger or portent.  Flocks of these birds bring a feeling of anxiety and even impending doom to the observer (thank you Mr Hitchcock).  There is even a video online showcasing a large flock or murder of corvids descending on a shopping centre car park in the US (Daily Mail online – of all places).  It is times like these that show us just how thin the razors edge of existence is.

The production of these sculptures took place during the UK lockdown.  As a result I had to use techniques that would allow me to produce the work at home.  This involved using air drying clay to make the form, from which the 3D pen versions are made.  It was also important to me that the technique could translate to mass production of the sculptures to produce a proposal for a large scale public exhibition commemorating the events of 2020.

www.keithnewlove.co.uk

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