branding i r o n s adrian cooke
If a person fabricates a tool, do they, through a more hands-on process, introduce a certain sensitivity and aesthetic that directly affects the shape, surface and tactile appearance of the final form in a way that industrial manufacturing processes may not? I am surrounded by tools, both electric and hand held, used for specific purposes in my work. They enable me to manipulate, create and sculpt all kinds of forms out of wood, a medium I love for its versatility and warmth — it can be cut, bent, burnt, sanded, drilled, chiselled, chipped, dyed, laminated and imprinted with saws, drills, sanders, carving tools and propane torches. Burning has a history in my work; beautiful contrasts between hard and soft grains emerge when charred surfaces are exposed and manipulated. For me, branding is a natural extension of the burning process. Sometimes in the development of a project there isn’t a tool available that will accomplish what you need — aesthetic decisions dictate a path where the only choice is to make your own tool — tools born of necessity. The sculpture Origin required such an approach and a small set of branding irons was the result. Origin is a wall mounted large flat wooden square, burnt, gouged and stained to represent an evening sky. Five adjunct pieces, lathed wood lenticular cloud shapes, hover in front of and below the sky. The surfaces of these forms are imprinted with small branded marks — grain elevators, clouds, stars, the moon — elements experienced day and night over and over again while living on the prairies, and elements whose significance is magnified by the unbending presence of a horizon that emphasises the relationship between up and down, sky and land. The lenticular cloud forms are a continuation of themes and philosophies found in my work over the years. The brands are a method of mark-making that not only reflect my interest in burnt surfaces, but also speak to the practice of branding used in rural settings as a method of identification and ownership. As a blacksmith would do, I heated, hammered, shaped and filed large iron nails into five different brands. These tiny branding irons are sculptural entities in their own right, beautiful little objects, iconic and symbolic, that reflect the ongoing influences that mark my sculpture practice. q
from the top: Set of branding irons used as a mark-making tool for wood sculpture Origin, 1991/2019. Each iron is 15.5cm x 2cm, made from modified iron nails The burning process: the branding iron is heated with a propane torch One of the wood cloud shapes marked by one of the branding irons
a l l i ma ge s Adri a n C o o ke
on site review 39: tools
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