Wire Sculptures with a Twist by Robin Wight

Wire Sculptures with a Twist by Robin Wight

“When a finished work of 20th century sculpture is placed in an 18th century garden, it is absorbed by the ideal representation of the past, thus reinforcing political and social values that are no longer with us.”

– Robert Smithson

It is no secret that we absolutely adore sculpture. So we take any opportunity we can to show you what awesome artists we find while sailing the vast ocean that is the internet.

Recently, we came across Robin Wight, who does some absolutely fantastic wire sculptures.

The inspiration behind these wire sculptures is as magical as the works themselves are:

In 1920 two little girls photographed fairies at the bottom of their garden and created a news sensation. As we know, the photographs were fake, but the story captured the imagination of people who wanted to believe.

A couple of years ago, while trying out my new camera, I took the picture in the woods at the bottom of my garden. It was only later when looking at the results that I spotted the figure in the tree. It’s obviously a trick of the light coming through the trees. What else could it be?

Whatever it is, it captured my imagination and inspired me to use the idea in my sculpture.

Wire-Sculptures-with-a-Twist-by-Robin-Wight-1

Image Source

Wire-Sculptures-with-a-Twist-by-Robin-Wight-2

Image Source

The very first things that we found out while researching wire sculpture on Wikipedia is that it started out as a way of making jewelery during the Second Egyptian Dynasty (c. 2890 – c. 2686 BC) and the Bronze and Iron Ages in Europe. It was not until the 20th century, when artists like Alexander Calder and Ruth Asawa came to the public’s attention with their respective works that wire sculpture began being seen as, truly, a form of sculpture.

Alexander Calder rose to fame in 1927 when he showcased his kinetic sculpture Cirque Calder. The piece was an artistic rendering of a circus, comprised of wire models rigged to perform various performances that you would usually see in a circus, such as sword swallowing and lion taming.

His sculpture is currently part of the permanent collection of the Whitney Museum in New York.

Other famous wire sculptures by Calder include Two Acrobats, Romulus and Remus, and Hercules and Lion.

Ruth Asawa, the other well-known wire sculptor, learned her technique while in Toluca, Mexico. There, villagers used a corchete technique to weave baskets out of galvanized wire.

I was interested in it because of the economy of a line, making something in space, enclosing it without blocking it out. It’s still transparent. I realized that if I was going to make these forms, which interlock and interweave, it can only be done with a line because a line can go anywhere.

In 1955,  Ruth’s wire sculptures were showcased at both the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the São Paulo Art Biennial.

But now, back to Robin.

Inspired by the photo he took, he began creating wire sculptures of fairies, which he would later put throught his forested property. In an article for the Huffington Post, he said:

I put one up in the trees along my drive, and the people in the local village spotted it and it became a local landmark.

Many of the fairy wire sculptures are paired with intricate dandelion sculptures. This is because the artist wanted to make a nod to the local culture, where dandelions seeds are also known as “fairy wishes.

But enough talk, it is time we show you some pictures of Robin absolutely enchanting wire sculptures.

1. Kiss

Wire-Sculptures-with-a-Twist-by-Robin-Wight-3

Image Source

You would be excused to thing that some elements of that photo are, in fact, photoshoped. But you can click the image’s source link and see how the sculpture looks without the pretty sunset backdrop. Although perhaps not quite as impressive, it still is definitely beautiful, and it really does a great job of creating a fairytale like mood.

2. Wishes

Wire-Sculptures-with-a-Twist-by-Robin-Wight-4

Image Source

This sculpture -together with quite a few more- can be seen at Trentham Garden’s popular Fairy Trail, and we totally want to go there new.

The dandelion it is holding is, in fact, a clock, and the statues itself marks the celebration of the Trentham’s Estate 10th birthday

3. Blown Away

Wire-Sculptures-with-a-Twist-by-Robin-Wight-5

Image Source

We really love it when we see a sculptures that leaves the impression of movement, and that is why we are completely and utterly in love with this one. Using whimsical to describe anything that has to do with fairies seems oxymoronic, but there really is not a better word for this absolutely awesome piece.

4. Fallen

Wire-Sculptures-with-a-Twist-by-Robin-Wight-6

Image Source

Fallen is another one of the sculptures that can currently be seen at Trentham Gardens, and it does seem like a rather darker entry, seeing as the poor fairy is making its way to a rather unpleasant meeting with the ground. Nonetheless, it still is a fantastic creation, and well thought out, as the wires that keep the sculptures suspend it, give the impression of motion.

5. Twisted

Wire-Sculptures-with-a-Twist-by-Robin-Wight-7

Image Source

Made as an indoor piece, this sculpture is, according to the artist, “the highest quality I’ve made to date”. You could easily see this in a larger room, sitting somewhere above, with the light shining down from behind it.

6. The Mask

Wire-Sculptures-with-a-Twist-by-Robin-Wight-8

Image Source

This sculptures is completely unlike any of the others, so we will not hold back: this is beyond the shadow of a doubt his best work.

We are awestruck by the gorgeous eyes, the lovely leaf skirt, and let us not forget the mask.

7. Venus

Wire-Sculptures-with-a-Twist-by-Robin-Wight-9

Image Source

Venus is the most difficult fairy I’ve made. Her pose puts all of her arms and legs in a position where it’s difficult to work the wire. Having said that, I’m very pleased with the results. She’s also only the second fairy to have hair. I tried it with galvanized wire and it didn’t work very well, but the softer finer stainless works quiet well.

Trentham Collection

Now we will be showing you a few more of the fairies that you can see Trentham Garden’s Fairy Trail.

8. Titania Queen of the Fairies

Wire-Sculptures-with-a-Twist-by-Robin-Wight-10

Image Source

9. Dandelion

Wire-Sculptures-with-a-Twist-by-Robin-Wight-11

Image Source

10. Glance

Wire-Sculptures-with-a-Twist-by-Robin-Wight-12

Image Source

11. Water Fairy

Wire-Sculptures-with-a-Twist-by-Robin-Wight-13

Image Source

12. Shaky

Wire-Sculptures-with-a-Twist-by-Robin-Wight-14

Image Source

13. Night Crawler

Wire-Sculptures-with-a-Twist-by-Robin-Wight-15

Image Source

That concludes our article on Robin Wight’s wire sculptures with a twist. We hope you enjoyed his sculptures at least as much as we did. If want more, feel free to visit his website, where you can also order your own fairy, or small wire dandelion. Also, don’t forget to leave us your thoughts in the comment section below.

About

Claudia Radau is passionate about marketing and photography. Loves to travel and has a soft spot for dogs. She handles PR for Pixel77.com and Inkydeals.com. You can find her on Twitter, Facebook and/or Google+.

6 Comments on “Wire Sculptures with a Twist by Robin Wight

    • Guten Tag, ich finde die Elfen sehr schön. Wo bekommt man die Orginale von dem Künstler und wie teuer sind diese? Mit freundlichen Grüßen Jeanette

  1. Such beautiful pieces of art. I have wanted one for years but they are always sold before I see them. I am not sure I can even afford one as I have no idea what they sell for. But one thing I know, I would be honored to display one. Robin is given such a talent and I know his work is sought after throughout the world. I hope his work goes on for many more years.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *