Greg Gowing, Kommensal (ART & OBJECTS 2023)

Kommensal is a freestanding sculpture 350mm long x 240mm wide x 280mm high composed of two parts - the shell with two organisms (Kracken and Kreeper) and the base. The name is derived from the term commensal which describes a particular form of coexistence between two organisms. The base and shell are made of Blue Gum (Eucalyptus saligna) salvaged with a Lucas mill from trees removed when my house was built. The timber for both was kiln dried then cut and dimensioned using traditional woodworking tools before being shaped on a CNC then detailed and finished by hand. The shell was modelled in Moment of Inspiration, the base in Curvy 3D. The shell is hollow and based on logarithmic spirals. It was made in two sections later glued together. The outside is decorated with laser etched graphics designed in Inkscape. The opening of the shell is gilded. The partially embedded fossil shells on the base were burnished with iridescent and metallic pigment powders. Both shell and base were finished with clear satin acrylic. The organisms were sculpted in Curvy 3D, 3D printed in sections, pinned together and coated in epoxy resin. Kracken (the larger green/blue one) was coloured with colour-shift pigments. Kreeper was electroformed with copper and patinated with liver of sulphur.

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