The Womb of Our Architecture

The Womb of Our Architecture

The Womb of Our Architecture

By: Emmie Ray Hubbard
Medium: cast bronze
Size: 42mm x 42mm x 18mm
Cast by the artist and Simon Bowbar
Issue: The Medal, no. 77 (2020)
Edition: 15

Category:

Emmie Ray Hubbard (b. 1992) is an artist working between London and the Peak District. Having achieved a BA degree in fine art from Central Saint Martins, London, she has recently been developing her investigation into materials at the Royal College of Arts, combining archaeology and craft to rediscover historic methods of making. Her MA work calls for a resounding discussion about future urgencies by looking back in time to historic beliefs and practices. She looks to the past to celebrate our history as well as to unravel questions on sustainability. As we become aware of the impact our species has upon our planet, Hubbard searches for guidance from our ancestors. She repeats what has been repeated.

The artist writes: ‘Material research is at the core of my art practice. I look to my surroundings to forage materials to make with. This medal celebrates the inner alchemy within our structured materials: the womb of our architecture. We are gifted with precious materials from our earth, yet we are blinded by their use within mass production today. I made this medal to celebrate the clay we dig, the ore in our stones, the seeds of our cloth. This medal is cast in bronze using a prehistoric casting technique dating back to the Bronze Age. I have been working with archaeologist Simon Bowbar to rediscover this historic technique. This medal is cast in moulds made from clay that I dug from Mam Tor in the Peak District. Mam Tor, meaning Mother Hill, is studied for its Bronze Age history. It feels appropriate for this medal to be cast in clay foraged from the womb of Mother Hill. Each medal is accompanied by a segment of its mould and a cast bronze stand. Each is individual. I am open to casting blemishes as these give each medal its own history.’

Pictures: the medal is shown with its bronze stand and a segment of the fired clay mould.

Availability

Dates

Makers

Year