Worn iron tools’ second life
Erzsébet Bódi for a long while creates almost from everything that is in her fingertips:
“I painted, drew, wreathed girdle, painted pebbles, went to the flea markets, collected and I am collecting the beautiful, but for others seemingly unnecessary objects.” But whether what reside in the background of the birth of the unique and boundlessly creative sculptures?
When did you start to make sculptures and principally what inspired your previous works?
A few years ago I made the first statuette. I went to the flea market and I fell in love with two beautiful, wrought iron handle. When I bought them, I knew that I won’t use them in their original function. From these I made the first – and thence one of my favorite – small statues. Only two small handles and two gravels, today also I like it very much and I don’t give to anybody.
I taught for decades at a college. Then I thought that I am at the only well chosen career of my life. The sculpting is a second career/path, but now I feel the same.
What are the roles of the old handcraft iron tools in the process of creation?
I love the sophisticated craft work. The inner satisfaction and the joy – when takes shape the plan that is in my head -, always brings out in me the desire of creating. I put together, weld, shape, carve, polish, clean and suddenly it will be ready. The pensiveness during the creation, the different variants, the again and again start only intensifies the ultimate joy. The last form – although I like it the best – but unfortunately permanently eliminates all the other versions, that’s why I do from a tool type a wide variety of shapes, forms.
What is the final message of the creation?
One of my friends called as subtle evolutionary humor that “something”, which comes through from all my creations, I was happy for it, because me too I consider the most important the joy and playfulness. They retain an old, beautiful creation/work in a totally different form and function. From work instrument become – perhaps art, from concrete, targeted, useful form into message.
The professional and private reception of my works encourages me in the fact that if you like and want to do something, than do it not only for yourself, but show it to everybody what you got.
What are the main materials with which you work?
The base is the iron, the tool that for others used to be a working tool, for me now is the subject of my work. Anyhow a beautifully done, old hand-forged tool, which in itself as well stands one’s ground. This gives the structure of my sculptures. The cement and the peat are the materials which I still use at the body’s building. It happens that instead the cement the paper is the other material. The iron and the papier in my opinion fit very well to each other, the soft and hard together become a whole.
In what kind of environment can you mostly imagine your sculptures?
The beautiful object finds its place in every interior. I am the supporter of eclecticism. In such designed areas the creative imagination gets much bigger space and from this becomes as well more personal.
My sculptures find their place as well in loft apartments and industrial environment, be it homes, offices and hotels. The bigger sized on terraces and in gardens as well may be good accessories.
