Liverpool Walker Art Gallery, Artwork of the month for July 2007. ‘Bracelet’ by Peter Chang.
Yes, I know! 2 days till August and I’m only just posting the Walker artwork for July. Sorry. I should give myself the sack if things don’t improve.
About the artwork
This amazing piece of jewellery was chosen as the lead image for the exhibition and it features on the poster also and on the cover of the exhibition publication. It has been brought especially from the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia for the exhibition.
It is made from a mix of bought and found pieces of acrylic, including acrylic sheet, old beads, map pinheads and a broken acrylic shop sign. Larger than an average bracelet, one would perhaps be wary of how to wear it as the projections seem so delicate and easy to damage. However, it is in fact reasonably robust and incredibly light. This is due to the fact that the central core of the bracelet is made of carved polyurethane foam. Chang then painstakingly covers the core with sections of acrylic, sometimes heating the pieces in an oven until they take on the required shape. He also builds up areas using lacquer and mosaic techniques.
He will build up layers of runny resin, sometimes inserting fragments of acrylic or glitter. Between layers he will rub down and polish. Sometimes many layers are added before the piece is completed. The final polishing stage will start with coarse and then finer carborundum, ending with a linen polishing mop and wax. Working with solvents and adhesives and also producing dust and fumes is a dangerous process, which can be quite hazardous to health.
It took Chang a staggering 246 hours of work to produce this one piece, excluding the time it took to design it.
More on the Walker website.