T5 WORKS IN PROGRESS: finalising the resin head

May 14
2 min read

Updated: Jun 5

Close-up of a black slatted cover over a sepia-toned photo, showing part of a person’s face beneath it. — Figure 1. Detail shot of the resin head, 2026, resin, digital print, acetate, photograph by the artist.

The resin head was finalised through the process of unmoulding and polishing. After allowing the resin to fully cure, the mould was carefully removed to reveal the layered face inside the cast. This was a significant moment in the project because the head had been one of the most technically uncertain components of Life in Pieces. The unmoulding revealed the suspended photographic layers and the slight shifts between them, which created the visual instability I had been aiming for.

Once removed from the mould, the resin surface needed to be cleaned and polished. Any rough edges, marks, or surface imperfections were worked back so the head could appear more resolved while still retaining the distortions created through the casting process. The polishing stage was important because it increased the clarity of the resin and allowed the layered image to become more visible. At the same time, I did not want the surface to appear too perfect, as the work is about fragmentation, disruption, and the instability of identity. Finalising the resin head brought the sculptural and photographic elements together, turning the cast into both a portrait and an object of rupture.