Fancy yourself as a Henry Moore? Or Barbara Hepworth? Those celebrated sculptors didn’t use cable ties, but perhaps you could!
At cableties-online, we have always known just how fantastic, and often indispensable, our cable ties are. But even we have been astounded at some of the creations that have been appearing on the international art circuit in recent years. We shouldn’t be too surprised though as nylon cable ties are lightweight and readily available, characteristics which make them a great creative medium. They can be fastened, joined together and even woven to create shapes and it can all be achieved without any fancy equipment or tools. Here, we take a look at three names to watch in the world of modern art.
Sui Park
Contemporary sculptor Sui Park was born in Korea and now lives and works in New York City. Originally trained in architecture, Park creates nature-inspired sculptures that she constructs by weaving cable ties together. Several individual pieces are presented in clusters or groups to mimic movement to replicate, for example, a school of fish in motion, and these 3D organic forms have been exhibited at The International Fiber Art Fair in Seoul and Art Southampton to name just two. These images perfectly illustrate the movement Park captures in her work and shows the difference that can be achieved by using standard black cable ties and coloured cable ties.
(Image credit: Sui Park)
If you would like to explore more of Park’s work, head over to her website here.
In a previous blog, ‘Unusual uses for cable ties’, we mentioned the Design Office Takebayashi Scroggin or d.o.t.s for short, of New York, and their seminal piece ‘Massimal’. Worthy of further mention, ‘Massimal’ was created for the 2011 Beaux Arts Festival, and comprised 20,000 standard white nylon cable ties. The cable ties had been fastened together to create what appears to be a giant polar bear but which the artist described as an ‘abstract animal form’. The form of the piece and the sculpture itself are supported by a discreet cable suspension system anchored to the ceiling.
(Image credit: blog.makezine.com)
Andi Regan
After leaving the north of England in 2008 and settling in New Zealand, mixed media artist Andi Regan’s artistic interest lay in transforming recycled items. Realising the possibility of being able to create something beautiful from something that would otherwise be thrown away, Regan began experimenting with twisting, sculpting and looping cable ties, beginning initially with a fairly limited palette of red, white and black ties.
Regan’s first piece was 2-dimensional, white and circular but she came to develop her skills in 3-dimensional pieces, creating lifelike organic sculptures which include butterflies and jellyfish.
Not content with organic sculptures, which each contain a minimum of 1000 ties, Regan began experimenting with wearable pieces in a variety of colours. Garments like the one below can take upwards of five months to complete and will include more than 20000 cable ties.
(Image credit: andireganart)
More of Regan’s incredible work, including a wedding cake, tea set and a Union Jack can be seen on her website here, where there are pieces available to purchase.
While we know that many of our customers are talented folk, we’re not expecting to see anything on this scale! But, if you have been inspired by these incredible artists and fancy having a go, our blog ‘Creative uses for cable ties’ has some great ideas that everyone can do.
