“Implements of Nature”

– Hand sculpted pewter beetle bottle opener, Pewter Live.

 

This bottle opener was made by hand sculpting clay and then the making of a silicon mould. Using this silicon mould, I could then pour the pewter in and around an existing bottle opener attachment. I then sculpted and add a ceramic shell to the back of the beetle and glaze them a raku turquoise glaze.

 

The piece is meant to capture the strength of the beetle in relation to its size, without a bottle opener we are unable to open the strong seal of the metal bottle top. Also researching into beetles and into the contextual meaning of the beetle or scarab in ancient Egypt.

The Egyptian Scarab Beetle is a type of beetle known for rolling dung into spherical balls. The dung rolling scarab beetle was sacred to the ancient Egyptians as it seemed to 'emerge from nowhere'. The scarab beetle, therefore, served as a symbol of regeneration and creation conveying ideas of transformation, renewal, and resurrection.

 

The ancient Egyptians believed that the Sun God Ra renewed the sun every day before rolling it above the horizon, then carried it through to the other world after sunset, only to renew it, again, the next day. The beetle was used as an amulet or a good luck charm by both the rich and the poor in Egypt and made from cut glass or stones such as turquoise and the Lapis.

 

I have also expanded this into a wine stop, drawing a juxtaposition to the preservation of a substance and renewal from an animal that in nature is linked to death and decay.

 

These pieces were entered into Londons, pewter live competition, published in their annual catalogue (2016) and taken on for exhibition at the three-day event at pewterers hall, in the heart of London.