The wrapped bones definitely were inspired by my trip to Peru, the mummies in the Qorikancha, as well as Chancay dolls made by indigenous Andean women.
My mother also died in 2012, so I had begun making small bones well before that. I started in 2010 probably, kind of as a way to hold onto her, to honor her.
They are my own personal ritual objects but reference the many ways cultures imbue bones with spiritual and sometimes magical powers. The Rune Fragments series were part of this thinking.
-Laura Evans
Laura Evans Bound Bones (Peru-turquoise)
"I directly model Sculpey Lite* and then bake it. It’s easy to shape and smooth by hand, so no tools are necessary except maybe some fine sandpaper once it is baked. The next part of my process is to choose which bones to combine, whether and how to wrap the sculptures and then arrange them." -Laura Evans
*Sculpey Lite is a type of Polymer clay is a type of hardenable modeling clay based on the polymer polyvinyl chloride (PVC). It typically contains no clay minerals, but like mineral clay a liquid is added to dry particles until it achieves gel-like working properties, and similarly, the part is put into an oven to harden, hence its colloquial designation as clay
You can see Laura Evans' work in the upcoming exhibition Excavation, that is curated by Adrienne Jacobson at the New Art Center in Newton from March 22-May 9, 2015. The show’s theme goes beyond archaeology to “dig beneath the surface” with materials. Save the date for the OPENING RECEPTION & CURATOR TALK, Saturday, March 28, 5-8:30PM, (talk at 5PM)