Nature’s Formations

Nature’s Formations

Fernando Mastrangelo is an artist known for his large scale sculptures and experimental work. Each one of his pieces is sculpted by hand from natural or repurposed materials. Most notably he uses sand, salt, silica, and crushed or powdered glass to spark conversation about ecological issues. The stories he tells with his work range from highlighting nature and its processes, to issues with climate change. 

Mastrangelo’s mirrors are his most recognisable pieces. For his collection ‘Capital’, he has created a series of mirrors based on geographic narratives. They are connected by their use of hand-dyed sand to create a small scale terrain. The collection ‘Drift’ also uses hand-dyed sand combined with powdered glass, mirror, and cement. These objects represent glaciers and natural earth formations from pivotal voyages to Patagonia and the Grand Canyon. The cast sand echoes glacial formations and is combined with the flat plane of a mirror which highlights calmness of the ocean, in comparison. There are also some furniture pieces within this collection, such as a sofa which combines upholstery and sharp-edged sculpting techniques.

 

 

Magma continues the conversation of climate change. These rough, natural formed mirrors draw inspiration from the destruction of lava and volcanic matter. But the tension is shown with the tinted mirror underneath, almost showing us being enritably consumed by nature and our actions. 

In contrast the smooth forms of the Ghost and Thaw collection are CNC processed to create super soft surfaces. The narrative looks at fallen snow, and how it thaws and melts. These smooth textures are then juxtaposed by jagged edges in some pieces to show the rocky glaciers found beneath the snow. All of the collection is made from powdered glass and cement to create a snow-like material that looks lightweight. 

In contrast the smooth forms of the Ghost and Thaw collection are CNC processed to create super soft surfaces. The narrative looks at fallen snow, and how it thaws and melts. These smooth textures are then juxtaposed by jagged edges in some pieces to show the rocky glaciers found beneath the snow. All of the collection is made from powdered glass and cement to create a snow-like material that looks lightweight.