Titan – “Born of Gaia” The Iron Clocks

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gallerytitanlargeTitan “born of Gaia” – a unique creation story in the artist’s own words.

This was definitely my biggest challenge yet. I wanted this sculpture to be distinctly different from my previous creations, yet have the overall sense of the melting effect that my other Iron Clocks also possess.
The concept of movement and fluidity have been an important feature in all my work.

I had the idea of an ‘Adam and Eve’ creation before embarking on this work. My aim was to make one side of the sculpture more rigid and angular and make the other side a softer panel, with vertical creases following through to add to the illusion. I have also included a hole in this Iron Clock so that you can see right through it……into a different era, perhaps ?

The softer, oval panel represents ‘Eve’ on one side of the clock, symbolising fertility. This ‘weighted look’ is emphasised by the folds pulling down towards the earth. I have also moulded a long, flowing shape that drops down from the top of the clock that suggests a serpent.

‘Adam’s’ side, however, includes more contemporary influences, like the suggestion of a gun and a coca cola bottle shape around the face. This reflects my broader theme of ‘West of Eden’.

I have created indistinct shapes on both panels that are open to interpretation and added the impression of cracks in the iron representing, further, the fragility of life. I am pleased with the end result.

My head has been full of ideas while I’ve been creating this sculpture, and like the other Iron Clocks in the series, it has taken on a life of its own as each stage has evolved. This is what makes it exciting, and I think it is my most interesting work to date.

-Mark Avis

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1 comment for this entry:
  1. FM
    April 1st, 2009 on 10:17 am

    ‘Fabulous, iconic, Dali-ish in the 21st century’
    (FM, Carte Blanche Styling, Bournemouth)

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Time is an Abstract Concept

Born in 1966, Mark is a contemporary artist, based in Newark, Nottinghamshire, who designs inspirational clocks made from steel. Influenced by Gaudi and Spanish surrealist, Dali, Mark began to conceive an image of a melting clock, created from iron, but sculpted to large proportions. His first Iron Clock in the series, known as 'Gaia', was completed nearly four years ago.

Mark has produced a series of six sculptures to date, which have attracted tremendous interest and critical acclaim. Each sculpture is original, shaped with distinctive markings that, when viewed as a whole, represent what Mark refers to as 'a human form fitting the proportions of people'.

With each Iron Clock, Mark has distorted the notion of time by creating an incredible melting effect that is both visually arresting and technically superb. As the series has progressed, Mark's artistic vision has become increasingly complex, inviting different interpretations as more intricate detail is added. This creates additional depth and dimension to each new sculpture, that further disrupts our traditional concept of time as each Iron Clock tells its own individual story.

Fragmentation contrasts sharply with fluidity in his latest creation 'Cronus', where the juxtaposition of time and nature are beautifully realised.

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