Aya Nambu - sculptor and contemporary artist

'The Room'

The casting process

  1. The clay figure from the front

    1. Clay modelling is completed from photographs and the surface is smoothed out.

  2. The clay figure from the back

    2. The back is sliced off flat as the plane will eventually be a part of wall, and shellac is applied in layers to release the model from plaster.

  3. Inside of the box

    3. The clay model is placed inside of a box that is carefully wrapped in cling film, both as release agent and to prevent plaster from leaking between the joints.

  4. Inside of the box covered in plaster, scrim

    4. The first layer of plaster is painted with brush and few layers are applied on top, then a couple of sheet of scrim dipped in plaster is applied for reinforcement.

  5. Inside of the box covered in plaster

    5. More plaster is applied on top of the scrim and leaving it overnight to ensure the plaster fully sets.

  6. Separating the cast from the box walls

    6. Slowly with care the cast is released from the box.

  7. Hollowing the piece

    7. The surface is sawed off flat to get more accesses to the inside space.

  8. Hollowing the piece

    8. Clay is scraped out and the shape starts emerging. Remaining clay is washed out and now the cast is complete.

The room plan

The plan for 'The Room' with dimensions.

The piece I am currently working on is a half-size model of a room with figure shapes (of models of my body) hollowed out on the inside walls, like 'imprints' of the body on the walls. The bodies are firstly modelled in clay from photos then plaster casts are taken around them.

I have in so far finished one cast in sitting pose which can be seen in photographs and I will be working on another one in standing pose soon. Once both casts have been completed, the room will be built at the dimensions described in the plan with wooden panels.

In this particular piece I am exploring the relationships between the body and the space around the body, but in reverse form; the body formed as a void space (negative space) and the space around the body formed as a solid form (positive space).

The piece carries on the concept of 'presence of absence', concerning the surrounding space and exploring the relationships between the different kind of 'space'.

I recognise the body as a kind of 'space'. There is a sense of space existing within the physical existence of the body, the space in which uncertainty and the unknown about ourselves exist. I think that questions, wonders, beliefs and sometimes understandings are evoked from and within this space.

Therefore I feel the most appropriate form to embody my sense of 'body' is a 'void' where nothing material occupies the space.

I have included some photos of the casting process here. As seen, it involves so many stages to complete one cast and there were preparation work in prior to the clay modelling such as sketching, photoshooting, maquette making and so on.

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