We visited a specialist casting workshop in Leyton, that is run by fabricator and maker Roey Hunt. We participated to the full process by starting to make a plywood mould (negative space), mixing up plaster and pouring it into the mould. After the plaster was set, we finished by demoulding to reveal a warm, solid plaster object.
Prior to the casting workshop visit, I had many pre-conceived notions concerning techniques of casting and was to some extent a self-proclaimed expert. I was assured I would enter the workshop as a casual observer, but I was wrong! Practically everything I had previously held to be true was mistaken, from the method of mixing plaster, to the setting time (hint: it’s not 40 minutes!). Moreover, the idea that the mould itself could become as important as what you’re trying to cast, and the process of making it was interesting, and this changed the way I now look at the process of casting and model making in general.
Text by Silas Koopmans (year 3)