Cannonballs

Work on this page was cast in South Italy on the surface of Cannonball artifacts in Otranto Castle.  Scroll to view exhibition images followed by process.

Process images

The Aragonese Castle of Otranto, built at the end of the XV century, houses cultural events, exhibitions, an archeological museum....and cannonballs.

They are the actual cannonballs fired during the horrific siege of Otranto in 1480.

I pressed layers of paper and glue onto the surface of the cannonballs and let the layering dry in the sun.

My intention was to embrace the texture of the weapons and also the essence of invasion.

When I lifted the paper replica from the cannonball, I couldn’t help but think about the Greek creation myth, about how the world and its panoply of gods, humans, and hubris came into existence through an act of violence.

I also cast the Female Abduction Tablets and War Chronicle Tablets on the cannonball surface.

In Otranto Studio with Cannonball Skins, preparing for exhibition.

In Otranto Studio with Cannonball Skins, preparing for exhibition, which took place inside the Aragonese Castle of Otranto. Puglia, Italy, 2014.

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