Alex Hoda’s decision to move from generating unique works to editioned pieces invited the potential for some challenging mould making within in the studio. The inconsistent material stability of earlier unique works was something that we aimed to eliminate with the creation of single material castings. Up until joining the studio in 2008, the only mould making had been limited to smaller ceramic editions – all of which had been subcontracted out.

Continuing to output in the artist’s signature material at the time – rubber, and working closely with the technicians at the suppliers Notcut, we were able to push the boundaries of the Polytek products they currently supply in the UK. The bulk of our casting employed standard silicon moulds with either a plaster or GRP jacket, the artworks cast ranged from polished portland cement and cold-cast bronzes to pigmented polyester resin and various polyurethane rubbers.

The inability to accurately ‘chase’ cast tough rubbers meant that seamless joins needed to be achieved when employing a multi-piece silicon mould technique. With both the smaller and larger works, an outstanding level of finish was achieved through honing of different mould making processes. In cases where ‘seam lines’ simply could be seen, we also achieved similarly impressive results utilising large scale one piece silicon moulds, in a variety of different shore strengths silicons.

As the wall-based cast works grew in scale, various structural concerns naturally arose – particularly in relation to the interior supports and armatures designed to be incorporated within the cast artworks. The moulds were used several times, firstly to generate an internal support for the final object, initially casting a high density polyurethane foam, the surface of which would subsequently be worked back by hand, then re positioned within the open mould, the poured rubber then taking up the void between the silicon mould and the HD foam armature. For smaller works, the inner surface of the mould would be lined with a clay then keyed, sealed and a rigid GRP and fibre glass laid down to form the internal armature.

With a high level of surface detail inherent within the works, much experimentation was needed to achieve a decent flow of rubber around the mould, eliminating any air pockets. With some of the larger  wall reliefs nearing 600 kilos in weight, concerns relating to installation and movement were anticipated early on in the design and fabrication process. Over the course of several years we produced many different cast works, installing them all over the world. Please see the photography page within the main website menu for some examples.

Photography © Tom Colebrook 2009

Artworks © Alex Hoda 2009