East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon
Detail, middle section,
Pictured here are some details of a wall piece I recently completed. It's a relief construction made of wire, fabric, air-hardening clay, upholstery foam, wood and glue, on a wooden garden trellis, painted with acrylics.
The proportions of the piece are roughly 200 c.m. long by 60 c.m. high. I was asked to make the piece to hang in a private house in Manchester.
The piece depicts scenes based on the fairy story East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon. Some years ago I also made a short animated film called The Forest Bride, which is very loosely based on the same story. The wall piece takes a global approach to the geography of the tale, while the film is more concerned with the theme of overthrowing domestic tyranny.
East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon is a strange tale, one of those atmospheric stories that seem to have retained about them the sharp scent of the hearthside or camp fire around which they were first told. A good retelling can be found in the Virago Book of Fairy Tales.