“2020 Biennial Members Exhibition”
Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA
February 8, 2020 - November 8, 2020
SCULPTURE
BARBARA M. BERK
THE DESIGN PROCESS
Making the "Toccata" Pendant
First Sketches
In “Toccata”, four meandering ribbon-like lines curl back on themselves and then interlace with each other. Follow the design from sketches to prototypes, see the sequence of steps that creates the pendant.
Pipe Cleaner Pre-prototype
I use pipe cleaners to test the design in three dimensions and tell me approximately how long to make each section.
Silver Prototype
The silver prototype is a full-scale model, testing the 3-dimensional design in woven metal. The prototype is where I refine the design. For "Toccata", it shows me that all sections must have a uniform width (i.e., 3 wires) and the bottoms must interlace, rather than hang down straight (as in the pipe cleaner prototype). I added a pipe cleaner to simulate a more pleasing shape and width for the mid-section. The prototype becomes the shaping guide for the gold pendant.
Completed "Toccata"
Click the arrows to see the sequence of steps to make the pendant
I prepare the warps and start weaving at what, when shaped, will become the top of the pendant. The unwoven warp wires will be used to form the bail. Toward the end of Section 1, I start spreading the three warp wires apart so the warps can be split, and more wires can be added, to create Sections 2 and 3/5.
Two wires are added to the single warp that originated in Section 1. Continuing with the weft wire from Section 1, I weave Section 2. The 18kt gold warp wires are 30/1000 inch in diameter, 7.5x the diameter of a typical human hair.
I prepare the warps and start weaving at what, when shaped, will become the top of the pendant. The unwoven warp wires will be used to form the bail. Toward the end of Section 1, I start spreading the three warp wires apart so the warps can be split, and more wires can be added, to create Sections 2 and 3/5.
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