Life casting services to the Auckland region

Life casting services to the Auckland region, at last!

Filling a gap in the North Island, sculptor Olivier Duhamel launches his Bodyscape life casting practice on Waiheke Island and its associated web site on www.bodyscape.net.nz.

Trading under the name of Bodyscape, Olivier Duhamel now offers body casting services to the Auckland region and to visitors to Waiheke Island. For those who cannot travel to Waiheke, he is also offering a “boobs casting manual” providing full instructions on how to cast someone’s bust in plaster. “This is much easier to do than people would expect in view of the incredibly accurate artworks that are produced. It is also a fun and inexpensive DIY project.” says Duhamel.

Sculptor Olivier Duhamel is no stranger to the pursuit of realism in his creations. The small bronze figurines he produces in his Waiheke Island workshop find their place in private collections around the world where galleries and collectors are experiencing a renewed interest for classical, figurative art. He has obviously been experimenting with life casting during the course of his practice and the clear interest that these pieces generated convinced him to offer professional body casting services to the region. Anything, from a simple torso, a pregnant belly to a full body or even a portrait bust can be molded. The piece will be cast in a robust, durable, non toxic and weatherproof material. Bodyscape studio accepts commissions from private individuals, collectors, architects, interior decorators, restaurants, cosmetic surgeries, beauty salons, fashion and jewellery retailers and more.

Life Casting is the art of taking an impression of the human form and has been practiced since the antiquity, by the Egyptians in particular. In more recent times, modern materials have allowed artists to produce incredibly realistic sculptures faithfully illustrating the human form. The craft is often dismissed as being “ just a body casting” in the same way as early photographs were dismissed by painters as being “just a photography”. The fact remains that a body casting sculpture carefully made by a skilled artist with a good eye is a very elegant, personal and emotive piece of art. Artists such as George Segal, John deAndrea or Duane Hanson were propelled on the international scene with works of astonishing realism, beauty and emotion. In New Zealand, Christchurch artists Brent & Shirley Cairns are selling their fabulous glass castings around the world.

ENDS