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Vinyl and CD Sculpture Part II

Sculpture
2005 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Rowan Mersh graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2005 after studying Multi-Media Textiles at Loughborough University. His interest is in manipulating fabric, distorting and pushing the boundaries of its structure. Increasingly fascinated by stretch jersey, Mersh experimented with personal possessions, such as coins collected on his travels, bringing the coins up under the fabric and tying them in place. Seeking to enlarge his experiments, he moved onto an even more valuable personal collection - his compact discs and vinyl records. Constructed in the same way as the smaller coin piece, here Mersh has carefully manipulated the stripes on the jersey, using the line as a starting point and stretching it around the cds and records.

Mersh has constructed other sculptural pieces using the same techniques, winning the Nationwide Mercury Prize 'Art and Music' in 2005.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleVinyl and CD Sculpture Part II (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Compact discs and vinyl records covered with knotted stretch jersey
Brief description
Vinyl and CD Sculpture, covered in jersey, Rowan Mersh, 2005
Physical description
Black and white striped knitted jersey stretched over twenty eight 7 inch CDs and eleven 12 inch vinyl records secured by hand tied knots.
Dimensions
  • Length: 107cm
  • Width: 35cm
designed to be worn around the neck as sculptural art
Production typeUnique
Object history
Mersh is concerned with understanding the principles of fabric or material. In 2005 he became fascinated by stretch jersey. Using objects as small as a five pence piece to cds and vinyls and 3000 cocktail sticks, Mersh constructs sculptural forms trapping these objects within the fabric.
Historical context
In 2005 Mersh won the Nationwide Mercury Prize 'Art and Music' - subsequently appeared on all Mercury recordings.
Production
Reason For Production: Exhibition
Summary
Rowan Mersh graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2005 after studying Multi-Media Textiles at Loughborough University. His interest is in manipulating fabric, distorting and pushing the boundaries of its structure. Increasingly fascinated by stretch jersey, Mersh experimented with personal possessions, such as coins collected on his travels, bringing the coins up under the fabric and tying them in place. Seeking to enlarge his experiments, he moved onto an even more valuable personal collection - his compact discs and vinyl records. Constructed in the same way as the smaller coin piece, here Mersh has carefully manipulated the stripes on the jersey, using the line as a starting point and stretching it around the cds and records.

Mersh has constructed other sculptural pieces using the same techniques, winning the Nationwide Mercury Prize 'Art and Music' in 2005.
Bibliographic reference
Crafts, No. 196, September/October 2005, p. 37-41
Collection
Accession number
T.21-2007

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Record createdFebruary 14, 2007
Record URL
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