Creating Canadian Snow Cast, eh! Glacialis I and II snow themed wearable jewellery objects.
The idea to drizzle wax in snow brought memories of my childhood, making maple taffy, which is mostly an Eastern Canadian tradition.
Canadian Snow Cast, eh! Glacialis I and II Series is one line of jewellery in my practice lead research. Once cast, the appearance of Glacialis I 'Esker' referenced an ice flow or a retreating glacier. When researching glaciers, I discovered the glacio-fluvial and esker deposits, which reveals rounding of individual particles since they have been re-worked by melt-water or display long, sinuous ridges, similar in appearance to the irregular wax impressions and cast structures.
For this jewellery project I have been recording stats such as the physical properties of the snow and the different wax types to learn which wax is best. When heated some wax and blends of wax viscosity differ which affects the pour, but also reveal their tensile strength. I can only control the movement not the result; the wax flows according to the structure of the snow. I give permanence to the snow, while the glaciers are melting due to climate fluctuation.
I reveal the physical and aesthetic properties of wax, snow and metal in order to invite a deeper reflection on our environment. Through the transformation of the hot-cold and solid-liquid process, a tension forms between the snow and the wax, and again during the casting stage with the heating of the metal. A dynamic relationship of the materials changing and bonding is present in the wax, snow and metal by these alterations as new structures are formed. The tangible and the ephemeral enter into a dialogue.
This body of work is intended as a series commenting on glaciers. Glaciers are always in motion and are very sensitive to climate fluctuation, the extent of the ice and its flow pattern are dynamic properties. I give conceptual meaning to my material explorations. As I continue to work with snow creating glacier type designs I will be reminded of the changes to the ancient art of lost wax casting and the changes to our environment. Both topics reveal much about the past and the future.