In exploring the plasticity of the body the physical use of plastics became an interesting route to experiment with as a material. The voice itself is fleshy, viscous, it stretches outwards, it’s textured by the body, it has an elasticity that can take and give shape. Plastic and especially silicone has the ability to communicate these characteristics and here I have experimented in the creation of a tentacle in silicone. To begin I made a mould by using a modelling balloon as a base and copying this shape in paper mache, then the silicone was poured into this mould to form the main structure of the tentacle. For the suckers I created barriers out of modelling clay to pour silicone into that then adhered to the silicone of the main structure. Finally silicone was poured from the tip to drip down over the structure in layers of gradiented colours. Altogether this created a sculpture that was horrific in its viscosity and makes you feel slightly uncomfortable. The colours used (red, yellow, flesh and white) are mixed in different ways to created the different fleshy tones found both inside and outside the body.

I hope to produce four silicone tentacles that can be incorporated with the 3D printed sculpture as a central focal point to the body of work.