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General => Image Sharing => Topic started by: Dune on March 12, 2019, 02:33:37 AM

Title: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: Dune on March 12, 2019, 02:33:37 AM
Something I have been working on for an Irish sculptor, Agnes Conway (http://www.agnesconway.com/ (http://www.agnesconway.com/)).

The stepped hill (which has an intriguing story behind it) is devoid of trees or shrub (6), but quoting Agnes: ".....and it's been agreed that they'll plant native trees and shrubs on the sloping sides of the upward paths, so that those trees and shrubs will eventually form a tunnel that you walk through, following the path around and around.  From the park, it will hopefully just look like a heavily-wooded hillock." 
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: Kadri on March 12, 2019, 02:48:10 AM

Nice work.
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: Celestial on March 12, 2019, 03:56:04 AM
Very happy with how this is looking  :) 

This is the real thing on google satellite https://www.google.com/maps/@53.2700795,-6.2760678,110m/data=!3m1!1e3 (https://www.google.com/maps/@53.2700795,-6.2760678,110m/data=!3m1!1e3)

The head is cast in concrete.  460cm (15ft) in length






Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: archonforest on March 12, 2019, 04:08:27 AM
Very nice indeed!
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: DocCharly65 on March 12, 2019, 04:31:01 AM
Absolutely my taste, nice! :)
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: cyphyr on March 12, 2019, 04:42:10 AM
This is looking really good.
:)
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: sboerner on March 12, 2019, 09:59:55 AM
Intriguing and moody. The ground fog works well with the shape of the hill and the trees. Very nice.
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: masonspappy on March 12, 2019, 10:09:01 AM
Nicely done, would love to hear the story behind the stepped ground.
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: j meyer on March 12, 2019, 01:19:26 PM
 8) Artistically interesting project and nice renderings.

Would like to see the face as close up, if possible.
And what about the original sculpt, real or CG?
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: Dune on March 12, 2019, 01:32:12 PM
Real concrete! I'll do a head one, for the fun of it.
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: Oshyan on March 12, 2019, 04:01:23 PM
Wow, what a cool project to be involved with! Nice work.

- Oshyan
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: Celestial on March 13, 2019, 03:52:43 AM
I love how this has developed.  Not as keen on ground-fog as other posters though  ;D

Quote from: j meyer on March 12, 2019, 01:19:26 PM
8) Artistically interesting project and nice renderings.

Would like to see the face as close up, if possible.

That would be just about impossible  :(  A cg face can pass, hidden in the trees or mist at a distance, but I don't think it would work close up.  Maybe, though...don't know....

Here's a close-up of the real thing when it had just been put into position. 
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: Dune on March 13, 2019, 07:03:51 AM
Given more time, the head could be made more like the original sculpt. This was just the female DAZ, eyes closed and some Lightwave and ZBrushwork. Not exact, but works.

Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: Celestial on March 13, 2019, 07:13:13 AM
That looks more accurate than I expected.

Edit to add:
Though you hit the same snag that I did when making it originally, that the forehead became too large.  I had to tilt the head sharply, raise the chin to sink the forehead into the ground.  I've asked for the planting to start right at the forehead and merge into the trees to make it look a bit less bald  ;D
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: DocCharly65 on March 13, 2019, 07:25:39 AM
Outch... I missunderstood some things here!
Now I saw and recognized the differences between render and original.
Anyway both impressive!

Is it an option to do a 3D scan of the original for Ulco? Or is it anyway the challenge to manually model the sculpture?
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: Dune on March 13, 2019, 07:41:37 AM
The original idea was to just do some distant views without the head in view. The head was an afterthought to get a bit more realistic topviews.
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: sboerner on March 13, 2019, 12:31:33 PM
Or if there is a maquette perhaps it could be scanned?

Evocative sculpture and setting. Would be nice to visit.
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: j meyer on March 13, 2019, 02:00:30 PM
Thanks to both of you. :)

Celestial - Did you sculpt the head at that size (15ft) or was it done at a smaller scale
and then scaled up and casted? And is there any footage of that process, maybe?
Just curious.
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: Celestial on March 13, 2019, 02:04:48 PM
Quote from: j meyer on March 13, 2019, 02:00:30 PM
And is there any footage of that process, maybe?
Just curious.

No footage, but I can dig out an old external drive with photos of the process. I made the head in clay - six tons of un-fired brick.  I'll have a root around and find photos of that and the casting process. 
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: Celestial on March 13, 2019, 02:34:32 PM
I haven't got the hang of how to attach images in the body of a post, but I'll give it a go

This is the clay master finished, ready to have the mould taken.

[attach=1]

This was for a different project, but it gives a better idea of how it was done.

[attach=2]

Here's the mould, ready to be removed

[attach=3]

This is the mould with the concrete being poured. 

[attach=4]

There's a set of steps leading to the labyrinth, with seven verses of a poem describing the preparations necessary for a successful journey.  Each verse was cast separately.

[attach=5]

Here's the head being lifted into position on the hillock

[attach=6]
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: Celestial on March 13, 2019, 02:46:51 PM
Years ago I saw a documentary about Mongolia, and there was mention of the Celestial Mountain.  I loved the name, but was never able to find it on maps.  Turns out the range is called Tian Shan.  So...I was thinking about journeys you never make except in your imagination, that's where the name of the work, the sleeping face and the labyrinth leading to it came from.  It's a bit difficult to see now that the slopes form a labyrinth, but they did originally. 
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: archonforest on March 13, 2019, 02:49:43 PM
Wow, impressive work. Love it.
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: j meyer on March 13, 2019, 02:58:35 PM
Wow, cool, thank you very much. :)

It's very refreshing to see that kind of sculpture been done without computer
controlled machinery. Impressive amount of clay you dealt with, respect.
Nice project and explanation, thanks again.
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: sboerner on March 13, 2019, 04:34:27 PM
Even more impressive after seeing the process. What a project – thank you for sharing the photos.
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: bobbystahr on March 13, 2019, 11:27:28 PM
Wow, an earthwork and a sculpture...I'm doubly amazed. well done for sure sir!
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: Dune on March 14, 2019, 02:47:47 AM
Great to see these photo's, Agnes. Thanks. My respect for your work!
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: Celestial on March 14, 2019, 03:41:52 AM
Quote from: j meyer on March 13, 2019, 02:58:35 PM
It's very refreshing to see that kind of sculpture been done without computer
controlled machinery.

It was good fun - you can see from the second photo that I hung knotted ropes from the rafters so I had something to hold on to while climbing around on top, without falling off all the time - it gets very slippery as it nears completion. 

I based the earthwork roughly on the Cretan labyrinth 
[attach=1]


Just distorted, simplified and elongated the shape. I did this in Bryce

[attach=2] 

[attach=3]

(you can see why I asked Dune to do the 3D images of the earthwork now, I've never been able to get to grips with CG 3D except in the most basic way)

The labyrinth was meant to be formed by earth and stone walls, but the Parks Department had a lot of bad earth, spoil from roadworks that they wanted to get rid of, so I was persuaded that I didn't really want walls, I wanted terraces  :-\   ???  >:(  ;D
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: j meyer on March 14, 2019, 02:46:06 PM
Hopefully the labyrinth can be emphasized by some well placed veggies then.
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: Celestial on March 14, 2019, 03:08:32 PM
Your non-cg 3D work is amazing, I'm dumbfounded! 
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: bobbystahr on March 17, 2019, 11:30:19 AM
Quote from: bobbystahr on March 13, 2019, 11:27:28 PM
Wow, an earthwork and a sculpture...I'm doubly amazed. well done for sure sir!


ooops I see from Dune's post I'm being a bit chauvinistic..sorry for 'sir-ing' you Agnes heh heh...
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: j meyer on March 17, 2019, 03:24:03 PM
Thanks Agnes and sorry for the delay, wasn't on line for two days.
Title: Re: Dreaming About The Celestial Mountain
Post by: DannyG on March 17, 2019, 05:38:57 PM
Very cool project, excellent work guys