Crow Box Video

A Murder of Crows

The first completed Crow Box pocket divinity.

Emergent Flock

transfigured wax to pewter

A Tiny Flock

In the wake of all that raven reaserch - a tiny flock of wax crows, soon to be metal crows!

A Bigger Boat

So here they are 2 deeper boxes, with the original slim box. Not as deep as I thought, it turns out and adequately spacious to fit the small crows.

But what size the crows in our hearts? Their harsh wooden cries punctuate a brittle winter's morning. A murder of crows inspired by the Girl with her Ravens. The crows reside in the box, the box is in your pocket. Open the box and set them free. Open your heart and release your own ravens.

A Deeper Box

After the first prototype, two things became clear. This can work, but not in the way I was anticipating. To fit the crows into such a small box would take a folding mechanism in the form that I had originally imagined. While this is certainly possible, it will add to the complexity and ultimately price of the finished piece. This is an issue as one of primary objectives of the pocket divinity was to make it affordable and so I feel that I need a simpler solution. So a deeper box is required! There is a trade off here, between the depth of the box and the size of the crows and this is in turn is influenced by the limit to the size of a piece if it is to be portable.

What I haven't ascertained is the effect of scale on the crows - is bigger necessarily better? This would certainly be easier to make, but will they add or distract from the effect of the finished work? I do not have a definitive answer to this at this point in time - more experimental work is required.

Further Study of Crows

There is, I think, a myth that art comes easily to talented artists, implying an effortless process. Yet, in opposition to this, is the portrayal of the tortured artist which is so beloved of Hollywood. The truth is so often closer to monotonous and seemingly endless study and iteration, in search of those sainted moments. Inspiration and a satisfying articulation of my thoughts and feelings and quite often my dreams.

So today it is yet more crows, seeking an image that says all that I need to say within the shape of it's flight, truth and beauty.

Raven Reaserch

Been a very busy day today just lapping up the beauty in the world! Oh and what beauty, so just time for some visual research. My thanks to Dotty for finding the raven website.

Take Flight

The first flight of crows looks promising but does not fit into the box, the lofting springs pushing it open. Mechanical sculpture takes development so I'm very pleased with where it's going - the vision coming to life. Like all the best things in life, it just takes time.
Next step is to make and cast more crows, experiment with hinges so they can be folded flat or consider a deeper box. Bearing in mind the need for pocket divinty to fit in a pocket, this could be a challenge!

Crow Box

The completed protoype box for the murder of crows pocket sculpture. It is hinged with a simple magnetic catch and paternated useing nitric acid. The next step is to make the crows and lofting mechanisim.

A flock of Crow waxes

Here are the completed waxes for the murder of crows boxes. These are to prototype the new simpler crow lofting mechanism. They just need to be sprued and then they are ready for investing, prior to de-waxing and casting in pewter.
A flock of crows in a box the size of an expensive mobile phone!

Begining The murder of crows

Today's post is the plaster mould, taken from a clay master, of the box for the murder of crows.
This mould will then be used to cast the box in wax, which will be used to cast the finished box in pewter or bronze.

A Murder of Crows

Today another page from the pocket divinity sketch book. Crows have long since held a place in my heart and recent reaserch has shown higher inteligence than certain primates - 'tool making' as well as 'use of tools' skill sets.

A box for the hand, inside a flock of crows.

With elements of sculpture, automata, devotional object but with the simple tactile plesure of a cigarette case or 35mm camera.