Kate MccGwire‘s intense sculptures intimidate me with the sheer massiveness of their size and of the work she must put into them. Layer upon layer of perfectly placed feathers form giant figures, and create a sense of chaos and of perfect order at the same time. She manages to capture the innate movement and lightness of her medium, moulted bird feathers, while sculpting them in ways that suggest an almost scary heaviness. Her latest show, Bound, just ended in London, and featured a giant infinity-snake of crow feathers called “Corvid,” meaning corvidae or the “crow family” of birds. This sculpture looks like something that would crawl out of a Tool video and destroy you in its’ massive coils. MccGwire creates out of her barge studio on the Thames…hence she is surrounded by pigeons and various birdlife, and she was inspired to use their shed feathers to create from her unique and strange perspective. There is nothing expected in her work – I don’t feel like I have ever seen such a common object as the feather used in quite this way. She creates new creatures that exist in some other universe, but at the same time that speak to emotions common to humanity. They crawl out of drainpipes and fireplaces, bind themselves in tight coils and climb in columns towards the sunlight. My Love For You did a fascinating Q&A with MccGwire that you should check out if you are interested in her process and her inspiration. But first, after the jump take a closer look at her pieces…
IMAGES VIA My Love For You and Kate MccGwire
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