Ashes & Resurrection
The Art of MFF | Author’s Technology for Creating Metal Sculptures from Ammunition Fragments
The clay model of the sculpture, at the final stage of sculpting, is covered with a layer of gauze bandages soaked in plaster. These form a kind of “skin” over the clay base. This process is clearly visible on the example of the sculpture’s head.
The technological cycle begins with the removal of the “skin” made of plaster-soaked bandages that cover deep cracks formed during the drying of the clay base.
Next, protruding parts on the clay model that form the anatomical structure of the neck—namely, the major muscles and the larynx—are removed using mechanical tools or a chisel. Prior to this, metal fragments with shapes closely matching the removed clay parts are selected.
Most of the clay on the replaced section of the neck is broken off and removed. This is because the large metal fragments to be inserted have many facets and cannot be properly secured on a flat clay surface.
When working within the resulting empty space, it is important to keep in mind the shape of the clay model in the replaced area of the sculpture and strive to recreate it as precisely as possible by selecting metal fragments of the appropriate shape.
To accurately replicate the anatomical details of the future sculpture—especially given that the metal fragments maintain their shape without mechanical alteration—a large quantity of fragments is required. In this case, the selection for the Angel sculpture is made from two tons of ammunition fragments of varying thicknesses and shapes.
The overall shape is reconstructed using large fragments (in this case, the right side of the sculpture’s neck). This is followed by meticulous work shaping the small anatomical details — bulging veins, tense muscles, indentations, and protruding cartilages of the larynx. This process will take many days, during which thousands of fragment pieces collected from battlefields will be carefully sorted through.