I made a capybara in this Clay Form to Clay Mold project.
The clay form is in the shape of a capybara — the largest living rodent in the world. I was drawn to capybaras because they are known as one of the calmest animals in nature. In order to fully represent its calmness, I choose to make it seated with one front leg tucked under the body in a loose position. The calmness of capybara and how it’s always seated in a still position often remind me of Confucianist emphasis on the calmness and stillness of the mind as well as meditation. Its association with Chinese philosophy is what led me to carve “火” inside his body. The Chinese character “火” is associated with other Chinese characters meaning “impatience” “anxious” (燥), and I think capybara also has the fire in his heart like everyone does, but he seals the fire deep in his heart and therefore gives out the impression of the stillness and calmness. At the same time, the fire sealed in his heart is not extinguished, keeping him the “warmness” that makes many other animals (birds, sheep…) so fond of staying by capybaras’ side and on his still body.
– Clay Form: Capybara
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- close-ups
-Clay Mold: “火”
The split capybara.
Character “火” inside the clay form before casting.
The clay form with the casted “火”.
The plaster mold broke while I was trying to take them out from the clay mold due to the thinness of the lines.
