Pestilence

A sculpture depicting William Blake's 'Pestilence: Death of the First Born', made using salvaged rusted metal. 

This piece was made during my foundation year 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. This sculpture is a physical interpretation of William Blake’s allegorical illustration of one of the biblical plagues that was inflicted upon Egypt.

The use of rusted metal, which I had salvaged from an old iron wheel barrow, was inspired by artist Jean Tinguely, whose work I had seen in a retrospective exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. I was particularly struck by his macabre series of sculptures ‘Mengele-Totentanz’ which were constructed from materials salvaged from a farmyard fire. I used a combination of crumbling rusted iron and burnt rotten wood to help personify the character of ‘Pestilence’.

The sculpture is constructed simply from fragments of iron glued to a copper wire and welded steel armature, and sits on a burnt log base I partially carved into shape.