Have you ever thought about the different uses of cement mixers? Interestingly, cement, concrete, and mixers are not only used for construction. Artists have been using cement to create exceptional sculptures, and the purpose of these sculptures is even more exceptional.
B&S Commercial Power has an excellent range of cement mixers that can be used for both construction and artistic purposes. Continue reading to learn how artists have used mixers for their art.
Cement Mixers: How Has Cement Been Used to Promote Marine Life?
It is interesting to learn that cement mixers are not only used for construction purposes. Artists have been using cement mixers for their large-scale projects for years. Mixers are an efficient way to ensure that there is always ready-made cement.
In 2009 the Mexican government announced their plan to create the world’s largest underwater museum. The goal of this museum was not only to attract more tourists but to also protect the coral in their reef.
A British sculptor by the name of Jason de Caires Taylor was the artist enlisted to help create this underwater museum. He created 400 sculptures from cement to create the underwater museum. This underwater museum can be found in the National Marine Park of Cancun.
This installation is called The Silent Evolution. Taylor’s art has been referred to as art with a purpose. The Silent Evolution is used to serve as an artificial reef. Special concrete is used to produce these sculptures.
The concrete that was used to create these sculptures has a neutral PH. This will promote the growth of algae and the rapid increase of invertebrates. This will also increase the number of fish in the area.
Taylor based these sculptures on people in everyday situations. He wanted to celebrate everyday people doing everyday things. He believed that basing sculptures on everyday people and placing them in water would give them a new context, or a new life of their own.
Each one of the 400 concrete sculptures is human-sized and the base of each one is four square metres. These sculptures will be based on different stories which include The Dream Catcher and Coral Collector.
Furthermore, due to the location of these sculptures, their original form will continue to change. The coral that grows on these sculptures is seen as the paint, the fish are seen as the atmosphere and the water is the mood.
Taylor has helped to promote the growth of corals by creating these sculptures as a space for corals to flourish. This also provides marine life with the ability to breed. These sculptures have taken the pressure away from natural reefs found nearby.
Half a million tourists visit these areas every year. This has led to the natural reefs breaking down and dying. On this project scale, mixers are ideal for this type of large-scale project.
Cement Mixers: Cement Used by Different Artists
Many people see cement as dull and something that should be painted to look beautiful. However, in the hands of artists cement can be transformed into mesmerising art pieces. Cement has become a common material used by artists as it is affordable and easy to work with.
Marlies Hoevers creates art fossils. She finds different materials and places them in concrete to set. Andrew Crane uses cement, paint, plaster, varnish, and graphite on canvas to create his art pieces.
Furthermore, he makes use of cement that is thinly layered as a base for his art pieces. He believes that the uneven surfaces created by the cement bring his paintings to life. William Hall realised how versatile cement is while he was building his home.
While laying tiles, pouring slabs, and working on his driveway he saw the different applications of cement and began incorporating it into his art. Henry Moore made twenty-one concrete sculptures between 1926 and 1934.
During this period, he explored by using different mediums including wood and stone. His goal was to create concrete sculptures for buildings. The main reason Moore used concrete for his sculptures was affordability.
Many artists have used concrete and mixers in their art. This form of art can still be seen today. Concrete is an affordable and durable material that is excellent for sculptures as well as paintings.
Cement Mixers: What is Concrete Art?
Concrete has become an art movement that is focused on abstraction. Concrete art is the representation of many different abstract ideas in the form of concrete. An artist Theo van Doesburg coined the phrase concrete art. He founded a group known as Art Concret.
This group was formed in 1930. The manifesto of this group titled The Basis of Concrete Art discussed the importance of concrete art. The group believed that concrete art should not refer to things that can be found naturally in the world.
Art that is created from concrete is believed to emerge directly from the artist’s mind. General abstract art often incorporates components found in the natural world while concrete art is often visually associated with geometry.
The subject matter of concrete art is inspired by mathematical formulas and scientific theories. For example, artist Max Bill created sculptures that were inspired by scientific theories which include spacetime relativity.
Since 1910 abstract artists had been creating art in this way, however, concrete artists brought to light their idea that art did not have to represent a person or object but rather mathematical equations.
For example, concrete artists would create paintings that included a predetermined number of compositional elements through different visual combinations. Concrete art involved social realities during this time, focusing on politics.
Doesburg believed that art should not use nature’s formal properties or sensuality or sentimentality. Concrete art should not represent anything other than what it is. Concrete art is believed to be a mathematical equation that serves as a starting point for the artwork.
Cement Mixers: Modern Concrete Art Ideas
If you know how to work with concrete, it can be a very versatile material. Concrete is also a material that is easy to experiment with. Concrete can easily be found and made. You can purchase a bag of dry concrete mixture at a hardware store and make it yourself.
If you would like to use concrete in your art or just decorate your home, starting on a small scale is the best way to go. Making concrete on a small scale is easy, you will not need any special equipment. You can use a cup, a small amount of water and a spoon or stick.
However, before you make your concrete you should decide what you would like to make. Many artists use concrete for assemblage projects. You will need something like chocolate or soap moulds to pour your concrete into. These can be used to create small tiles.
If your moulds are not plastic or silicone make sure to prepare the moulds with wax paper to ensure the concrete will not get stuck once it is cured. Using small moulds will make your assemblage project manageable.
Another great option is to add concrete pigment to the concrete before you have added water. This is one way to add additional colour to your project. Once you have added the concrete pigment to the mixture you can then add water.
Make sure to follow the instructions on the concrete bag to ensure that you have added the correct amount of water. After everything is thoroughly mixed you can add them to each mould.
Before the concrete dries you can add items that you like or random items like stones to the wet concrete mixture. The concrete should be completely dried within an hour. You can then remove them from the moulds.
There may be sharp edges where the concrete meets the moulds. These sharp edges can be made smooth using wet sandpaper. The process can be continued until you have made enough tiles for your project.
When you are happy with the number of tiles you have made, you can begin adding them to your chosen surface. There are many different surfaces you can use such as wood, canvas, glass, and mirror. The type of surface you use will depend on the outcome you desire.
Cement Mixers: How to Make Concrete Sculptures
Using concrete to make art may seem like an odd idea, however, concrete is the perfect material for sculptures. Concrete is affordable and easy to find, and if made correctly, it is strong and durable.
Concrete sculptures are lovely talking points for any outside area. They can, however, be expensive. If you really would like a concrete sculpture for your home, making one can be a fun DIY project.
Your first step would be to decide how you would like your sculpture to look. Then you will need to decide how you would like to make the actual sculpture. This can be done by making a wireframe, casting the sculpture with a mould, sculpting, or creating a freeform shape with your hands.
If you are creating a large sculpture, you can use a concrete mixture that consists of one part cement, one part coarse pebble and two parts sand. If you are making a small or medium sculpture, follow the mixture for a large sculpture but add less sand and coarse pebbles.
If you decide to use a wireframe, chicken wire is ideal or plain wire mesh. Once your wireframe is complete, make your concrete mixture. The mixture can then be applied smoothly over the wireframe.
For freeform sculptures use a thicker mixture of concrete, grab handfuls of the mixture to form a shape and let the concrete dry. Before the concrete is completely dry use a knife or other sharp sculpting tool to create a shape.
Furthermore, the best concrete to use for sculpting has fine sand added to the mixture. If you would like more texture add pebbles. On the other hand, if you would like to make a small or medium sculpture you can use less sand and avoid adding pebbles.
Many sculptors that use concrete say success comes from the artist’s creativity, practice, patience, and willingness to experiment. There are a few different types of concrete as well as different ways to make it.
Sculptors will often use one type of concrete for the base that consists of coarse aggregate and another for the actual structure that has fine sand. Concrete sculptors usually create their own concrete recipes that work the best for their projects.
Experienced concrete sculptures recommend that when working with concrete for the first time, it is best to use premixed concrete. Once sculptors are comfortable with the material it becomes easier to experiment with the mixture.
Before working with concrete mixtures, make sure to wear protective clothing such as gloves, goggles, a mask, long pants, a long sleeve top and closed shoes. Concrete may damage your airways and skin if you come into direct contact with it.