Mythos
Daedalus
Behind the Scenes
My dear friend, Rick Frignaca, who has since shuffled off this mortal coil, did the mold work and bronze castings. The artist’s proof you see here has a golden patination for the wings—but the actual pieces had goldleaf wings.
The original was sculpted in the excellent Chavant Roma sulfur-free plastilina, firm. Most of the work I’ve done for bronze castings has been initially sculpted in that medium. While I prefer to work with the soft varieties, the firm is the surest bet for the rigors of mold making.
Daedalus – First Flight
I have a complicated relationship with this piece.
The client who commissioned it wanted an iconic portrayal of the mythological first flight of Daedalus and his son Icarus. I initially completed two “sketches”— fully realized maquettes—one of the more mature, serious Daedalus and one of the younger, more exuberant Icarus. Everyone in his company loved the kid, but he went with the adult.
I often look for ways to convey motion in my figural work. I want the pose to be like a key frame in an animation sequence; one that embodies great tension in the muscles, pushing and pulling against one another as they explode through dynamic motion. Whenever possible, I don’t want the pose to seem “posed.” But every time he gave me feedback, it was to pull back on those aspects. He wanted the figure to be stiffer and more static. I did my best to depict the tension in the muscles holding the strain of the pose and hinted at the movement that was to come. He loved it, but whenever I look at it, all I see is what it was or could have been, let alone the wonder I’d captured in the Icarus version.
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Let’s make something amazing together
Please note, all Manifest Sculpt work is completed with traditional sculpting techniques—modelling and carving—rather than through modern digital techniques and programs. Consequently, the resin and bronze castings in this edition were also produced through traditional mold making and manufacturing processes. Final Manifest Sculpt commissions are available in a variety of materials, but they are not 3D printed and are not available as printable files. Copyright Notice: all work, including ideation, concepts, stories and their development, character design and production are the property of Carlos Soca unless otherwise noted, and all rights are reserved. Should you wish to discuss collaboration or licensing of an intellectual property or its design, please contact Manifest Sculpt.