Phil and Diane Gorvin are the artists behind our website cover image, The artists are currently working on a major public art work in Banbury, which you can find out more about by visiting www.settlementsculptures.co.uk For the background story to this image and more on their fire sculpture work, read on….
Forest Phoenix, Near Perth, Australia. 1996
Phil was invited by Jude van der Merwe of Mundaring Arts Centre in partnership with Claremont School of Art, Midland TAFE, The Forest Hills Activity Centre CALM and the Shire of Kalamunda, to design and orchestrate the making of this 10m high Phoenix fire sculpture with associated smaller fire sculptures. Diane subsequently made large sculptural lanterns with the students from Midland Tafe.
We worked with many artists on the project – chiefly Stuart Elliott, Michele Hogan, Richard Marito, Alan Clark and Peter Dailey and their students. It was a big community project also involving a lantern procession, dance performance, and a choir led by other artists and performers.
The Forest Phoenix was sited on a temporarily disused airstrip in the bush. It was a magical and rewarding experience both in the building and the final burning of the work. A community choir sang before the fire was lit by a mini fire sculpture ‘monkey’ on a zip wire and bird fire shapes, the Forest Phoenix and the student and staff fires blazed whilst dancers wove between them. The project won an Australia Day Community Award.
Coalway Crow UK 2012
For the Coalway Frost Fair – This was the last fire we made after 26 years of making around 50 fire sculptures. The Crow Fire Sculpture was made in the village where we live.
Phil assisted was by Peter Covington- Jones, Dave Morris and Sue Wright, students at Lakers School made smaller fire sculptures which were placed around the Crow. Juins Haffenden and Tash Hill made lanterns with children from Coalway Primary School for the event.
For more fire sculpture images from Phil and Diane, please visit http://www.firesculptures.co.uk