Twisted Words
June 2005, Tate St Ives
This family activity took place at Tate St Ives during the Whitsun
holidays, using the Richard Deacon sculptures as inspiration for
some fun practical work. Two of the sculptures in the Tate St
Ives show are formed of ash wood, steamed to a very high temperature
and twisted into coiled, spiralling formations that are evocative
of many things – from roller-coasters to giant waves.
We wrote down as many words or phrases as we could think of that
helped to describe these sculptures. Then we got some long strips
of paper and created our own twisting sculptures. We wrote some
of our descriptive words, phrases and sentences on the strips
making a kind of word/poem sculpture.
Try making your own twisting word sculptures at home using
strips of paper or card.
Top tips!
- Look at the pictures of Richard Deacon’s sculpture
Restless. What does it make you think of? Write down
a list of words that describe the appearance of the sculpture.
- Try putting some of these words together to make unusual
or silly phrases - spaghetti hair, for example!
- Carefully cut out long strips of paper or card. Try different
colours and textures, like corrugated cardboard or metallic
card.
- Write some of your descriptive words or phrases along the
strip, using different types of lettering - big, small, bubble-writing,
mirror-writing... you choose!
- Twist your strips of paper into spirals or knots, joining
the ends together with tape or glue. Staples are quick and
easy but you may need to ask a grown-up to help.
- If you like you can keep adding new twisting strips to
make bigger, more elaborate sculptures. Then try hanging them
up like mobiles or taking photos of them in different settings,
such as in the garden or against wooden floorboards.
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