THE CRIMINAL MIND OF DR MORIARTY

THE CRIMINAL MIND OF DR MORIARTY

This came about because a tree was blown down, and I inherited some of the timber. It was an oak tree, around 130 years old, according to my estimations...but I stand to be corrected. It was a very hard block to carve, and as ever the timing happened to be in autumn-winter time, so that the carving of it was a cold and uncomfortable experience.  I carved the main parts with an axe ( I remember watching a Nigerian sculptor using an axe in 1983 and marvelling at the way it was been held, but to be honest, I have  no real recollection of the work being done at that time, only the man himself, a wonderful all-embracing warm human being.  I hope he is well.  Years later, I briefly became friendly with another great carver/sculptor..Bill Ming.  He did some amazing work.  So it was within me all that time, the need and the wish to carve something substantial out of wood. 

It had been a reasonable effort, when, something possessed me, and made me want to turn the darn thing into an automaton. And so it was. The simple, rather sombre head sculpture in oak was cut, sliced, opened up and all manner of diabolical bits of wire, springs and other things inserted.  The jaw was cut and rejoined so that a piece of wire moved it.  The eye sockets were hollowed etc. It really is a criminal looking face, as I imagine this to be. As it had a primitive sideshow kind of feeling to it (all this before steam-punk), it became Dr Moriarty. Bits of the mechanism have been removed, so that it becomes a little less fragile and hard to place in a space that people occupy.  It has from time to time moved around various parts of the house, scaring visitors and us alike and achieved the same at the city gallery. It is happiest on an old dresser in the bedroom...but by special request has been moved from there to an atmospheric part of the attic... The video is the one made years ago. It has all the original working parts.