Planning My Model (Week 13)
Once I had chosen my subject - Mary Anning - I had to decide what message I wanted my model to communicate about her. Anning, referred to as "The most famous person many of us had never heard of" - Sharpe, T. 'The Fossil Woman: A life of Mary Anning (2021), was only very moderately celebrated in her time but sadly faded into obscurity, with much of the credit for her work going to others, often men. It is only recently that she has begun to regain the credit and recognition she deserves, which is what I want my model to highlight - the woman behind the important discoveries she made.
A statue of Anning is already in the works, funded by donations from the public. Sculptor Denise Dutton released sketches (shown above) of the proposed statue, which is to be made in bronze and unveiled in 2022. The sketches show Mary mid stride, tools in hand and head held high, accompanied by her dog Tray. The statue gives an air of confidence and purpose through Mary’s body language, depicting her as though she were on her way to work.
My first idea (top left of image) was to depict Anning digging up fossils with Tray atop a resin ‘sea’, filled with the dinosaurs she discovered, as if she were uncovering them with her digging.
I also sketched up a less serious idea (bottom right of image) of Anning riding a dinosaur but felt that was too cartoonish to serve the serious message I wanted to communicate.
It became clear that the best way to communicate to the audience who discovered these fossils, was to simply depict Anning herself. I felt a bust would work best, bringing the focus to her face - something the audience will be able to connect with. I hope to depict Anning as both serious but personable, determined and social. I also hope to use clothing to communicate to the audience the time period she was living in.
Links
Quote: 'The Fossil Woman: A Life Of Mary Anning, Sharpe, Tom, 2021
Image 2: Own Image
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