Pioneer
Sculpture
2004 (made)
2004 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Gareth Williams makes doll-like figures with blown glass heads and beautifully made sewn and stuffed leather or fabric bodies. These highly stylised works, each with their own strong personality, make powerful statements about human nature and relationships.
'Pioneer' can be interpreted as a crawling baby spaceman rushing off to explore the universe, and indeed the sculpture was conceived at a time when Williams' own baby son was crawling around the house. But, as is often the case with Williams' work, Pioneer also has more sinister connotations.
'Pioneer' can be interpreted as a crawling baby spaceman rushing off to explore the universe, and indeed the sculpture was conceived at a time when Williams' own baby son was crawling around the house. But, as is often the case with Williams' work, Pioneer also has more sinister connotations.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Pioneer (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Cased, blown glass, with applied powdered coating, cotton and polyurethane mix fabric, sewn and stuffed |
| Brief description | Sculpture, 'Pioneer', glass and fabric figure of a crawling baby, Gareth Noel Williams, Netherlands, 2004 |
| Physical description | Sculpture in the form of a crawling baby figure with blown glass head, this with cased light brown inner layer and a dark brown surface layer, formed from applied brown glass powder which has oxidised during application. The body of sewn and stuffed cotton/polyurethane mix fabric with a shiny silvery finish. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Unique |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'G.N. WILLIAMS 05' (Signed in black pen on the bottom (belly of the baby). The piece was signed at acquisition during Collect on 14th January 2005, but it was actually made in 2004.)
|
| Object history | Bought from the artist at 'Collect 2005' with funds provided by an anonymous donor. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Gareth Williams makes doll-like figures with blown glass heads and beautifully made sewn and stuffed leather or fabric bodies. These highly stylised works, each with their own strong personality, make powerful statements about human nature and relationships. 'Pioneer' can be interpreted as a crawling baby spaceman rushing off to explore the universe, and indeed the sculpture was conceived at a time when Williams' own baby son was crawling around the house. But, as is often the case with Williams' work, Pioneer also has more sinister connotations. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.50-2005 |
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| Record created | December 13, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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