Engineering, Sculpting & Performance — All Under One Hat

Pierced ear, tartan slouch cap, Creator Incubator sweater and a sculpture that at first sight resembles an inflight neck pillow made out of steel–artist Braddon Snape is all smiles as we meet him to learn more about his journey through PhD research at the University of Newcastle.

He recalls it was five years ago he decided to focus his research on inflated steel media. Snape admits there were some hits and misses, especially in the early stages and recalls an inflated large rectangle that ended up darting through the room, including the spot he had stood minutes earlier.

Snape said, “The hardest part of working with inflated steel? You will never have complete control. After some attempts you learn the way the pressure works on the welding points and what your initial shape will transform into, however it may never be 100% what you imagined”.

He is a self-taught engineer with 20 years of experience, yet he doesn’t want this to inhibit the creative process and limit himself in the physical aspects of his work. A crucial part of his design process is performance. Not only does he want the audience to see the creation of the sculpture, ideally, they are immersed in the process. Twenty people, a rectangle sheet of steel, a hose confined to a small cell at the historical Lockup gallery in Newcastle recently brought this vision to life.

The proximity of the bodies, the darkness of the cell and feeling of having even more liveable space sucked out reproduced the feeling of prisoner confinement. The expression of human anxiety, fears and awe while seeing a piece of art in the making is the behavioural and performance content Snape aims to produce.

Author: Tamara Blickisdorf

Pictures: Courtesy of Braddon Snape