Bark Knight

A sculpture of a suit of armour, made using scavenged tree bark.

This piece was made during my foundation year, following a trip to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. It was made as part of my Final Major Project on the theme of ‘Reinterpretation’, in which I sought to reimagine historical artefacts and artworks though the use of unconventional materials.

The design and posing of the piece was inspired by the Armour of Pankraz von Freyberg, which I saw on display in the Rijksmuseum. I used bark to replicate the effect of aged rusted metal. This sculpture was constructed very simply, by gluing the bark over a wire armature and finishing with danish oil to prevent the bark from drying out and crumbling.