The Kolibri Set

THE KOLIBRI SET:

PHASES OF ITS CREATION

The first sketch for ‘Kolibri Set’ dates from august 1998. It is already pretty complete. It shows the dimensions of the doubled block of oakwood, and details the flower (a vanilla orchid) in front and side view.

‘Kolibri Set’ initially didn’t go through many design phases, at least not its main shape, cut form one piece of doubled wood.

When this first stage was finished, the artist went to work on other projects which in due course became the Hybridicon Laboratory project. Martin Helm usually works on different objects at the same time, and some objects take over a year (or longer) to get from the sketch to a finished piece.

the lay-out on the dimensions of the woodblock

A projection of drawings on three sides.

From these drawings cardboard templates were made in 1:1 scale which were transferred to all sides of the block to ensure symmetry.

Sawing and chiselling away the excessive wood, leaving a roughed out shape of the ‘Kolibri’-object. This is what the artist cals an ‘dud’.

Further chiselling and filing reveals more of the main shape.

From this stage on it is the wood itself that determines how far the artist can go in thinning, filing and sanding.

The piece in its final phase.

It now must wait for a contextual setting, without which it is a meaningless object.

At this stage the artist has to ‘let go’ of initial ideas and original intentions, and has to approach the creation in an openminded and unprejudiced way. This process cannot be forced, however, and can take a frustratingly long time. It is mainly a subconscious process, where rational considerations must give way to feeling and unexpected insights.