Cornelia Parker

Cornelia Parker is best known for large-scale installations such as Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View (1991), where she had a garden shed blown up by the

British Army and suspended the fragments as if s

uspending the explosion process in time. In the centre was a light which cast the shadows of the wood dramatically on the walls of the room

Parker's compelling transformations of familiar, everyday objects investigate the nature of matter, test physical properties and play on private and public me

aning and value. Using materials that have a history loaded with association, a feather from Sigmund Freud's pillow for example, Parker has employed numerous methods of exploration- suspending, exploding, crushing, stretching objects and even language through her titles.

Mach's artistic style is based on flowing assemblages of mass-produced objects. Typically these include magazines, vicious teddy bears, newspapers, car tires, match sticks and coat hangers. Many of his installations are temporary and constructed in public spaces

In the early 1980s Mach began producing smaller-scale works assembled out of unstuck match sticks. These mostly took the form of human or animalistic heads and masks, with the coloured tips of the match heads arranged to construct the patterned surface of the

face. After accidentally setting fire to one of these heads, Mach now often ignites his match pieces as a form of Performance art.

Recently Mach has produced some permanent publi

c works such as Out of Order in Kingston, the Brick Train and the Big Heids visible from the M8 between Glasgow and Edinburgh

Mach began to experiment with producing collages. So far, this has culminated in National Portrait, a collage for the millennium dome that featured many images of British people working

Society's assumptions

In our society we are too quick to make an assumption about a person based on their apperance, wheter there a 'Dumb Blonde' or not your 'typical' pop singer. This clip from Piers Morgans life stories highlights just how quick we are to judge someone by apperance alone.

Slip Casting

Slip casting is a simple method of reproducing ceramic objects. It offers the advantage of making large numbers of exact replicas of an original model-such as identical sets of plates, ash trays, vases, statuettes and bowls.

Casting slip is made from clay in dry form and water in proper proportions and of the proper consistency.

The moulds for slip casting are made of plaster of Paris. When slip is poured into the cavity of the mould, the plaster of Paris immediately begins to absorb water out of the slip, causing clay to form and thicken where it is in contact with the plaster walls. When the clay has formed to the proper thickness, the remaining slip in the centre of the mould cavity can be drained off. The clay in contact with the plaster remains and is permitted to stay until it dries sufficiently to attain a leather like consistency.

If there is not sufficient water in the slip when it is first made, the pouring of the slip into the mould will be uneven, and the clay will form unevenly against the inside surfaces of the mould.