Dodo

After Tenniel from his illustration for Lewis Carroll's 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'.

 

Here the Dodo is about to take flight from his paper chrysanthemum.

 

Lewis Carroll's (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson's) use of the Dodo in his book is a reference to himself, he had a stutter and very frequently pronounced his name "Do-do-dodgson".

 

Materials:

Silver wire, acid free tissue paper, copper walking stick

 

Technique:

Small pliers are used to manipulate the fine wire, wire is wrapped around wire at every join. Eventually this process creates a wireframe creature, the wire describing the contours and the outline. Finally, fine paper is applied sized and wet. As it dries it becomes taut like a drum and forms the translucent skin.

The dodo stands on a paper flower is created using a ancient Chinese modular money folding technique. Hundreds of the same miniature origami pattern are folded up and these are slotted together to make the paper chrysanthemum. No glue holds the flower together.

 

More sculptures by Polly Verity

 

photo: CS Stevens

Done