Concrete Casting Short Course
Course description
Course overview
The course is hands-on, and participants will learn how to make cast concrete objects and sculpture / art works. The course aims to equip you with the skills to develop your own ideas and projects through experimentation, a series of mould-making techniques and other possible applications of the material in an art and design context. Looking at the modest and the monumental as inspiration; Picassos concrete sculptures and other contemporary artists such as the work of Michael Dean and Rachel Whiteread, as well as Brutalist architecture and the influences of Le Corbusier.
The course will consider mould-making using a variety of materials including wood, metal, plastic, sand, vacuum forming and other salvaged materials with the aim of keeping costs low and being environmentally conscious. The final element will look at sculpting and painting with concrete - making and sculpting a small object.
Who this course is for
This course is suitable for artists, designers, architects and anyone who wants to experiment with these materials, regardless of prior experience. Beginners are welcome, as are those looking to expand existing knowledge.
Key information
Topics covered
- Presentation of the context of concrete in art, architecture and design
- Learning basics of concrete mixing, ratios, cement and aggregates
- Making basic moulds for casting objects - options to create art / sculpture / design objects - including demos on creating pots, tiles and models (Experimental approach is encouraged and you can develop work throughout the course Latex moulding - where to use latex for detailed cast objects and outdoor / garden sculpture)
- Small armature making - sculpting with concrete and using as a painting medium
- Pigment additions
- Ciment fondu
- Discussions of sustainability and impact of concrete on the environment, and ideas around a climate conscious artistic practice, rammed earth, hempcrete and natural concrete
Learning outcomes
- Ability to make a variety of cast objects in concrete
- Understand the material possibilities subverting expectations
- Know the basics of concrete mixing, ratios, cement and aggregates
- Understand how to make basic moulds for casting objects
- Understand where to use latex for detailed cast objects
- Digital badge and certificate of attendance
Materials
- Textiles for impression
- Object for small relief casting: maximum size L: 12 x W: 12 x h: 3cm (students can discuss with tutor)
- Plastic pots: yoghurt pots and cardboard tube
- Pair of washing up gloves recommended (disposable gloves will be provided)
- Appropriate clothing / overalls for messy work
Tutor
Joseph Harrington
Joseph Harrington (b.1979) is a sculptor working in cast glass living and working in Caterham, Surrey. He studied a BA in Ceramics and Glass at Buckinghamshire University College (2002) and went on to graduate with an MA in Ceramics and Glass from the Royal College of Art in 2006. He won ‘Best in Show’ at the 2017 British Glass Biennale, a gold medal at the Bavarian State Prize 2018. He has work in a number of public collections, including the V&A Museum, London, Chrysler Museum, Norfolk Virginia and Manchester Metropolitan Special Collections Museum. Joseph has exhibited both nationally and internationally including a 2013 solo exhibition 'Landscape Portraits' at Bullseye Projects, Portland USA and frequently exhibits at ‘Collect’ art fair at Somerset House.
I interpret landscapes through exploration of material. I focus on the erosion of coastlines and rivers as a spectacle of discovery and generation of form, revealing a sense of the history and movement of a place. The work is produced using my ‘Lost Ice Process.’ I use salt to sculpt ice as a one-off ephemeral model to take a direct cast from. The textures this provides, and the transient nature of the creative process reflects the erosion and sense of time in the landscape. There is a roughness from the initial cast that is ground polished and refined to its final finish, revealing the internal structures of the glass and creating facets and flat planes to redefine the essence of the made against the organic surface.
Book a course
Loading