designboom · Creativity & design

Crystal Animal Sculptures Capture a Roaring Gesture

South African sculptor Ferdi B Dick creates animal sculptures featuring an open mouth and extended tongue, symbolizing release and exhalation, akin to a lion's breath in yoga.

This recurring gesture appears in Dick's work at various scales, from large public installations to smaller gallery pieces and cast crystal sculptures. Notable examples include an 8-meter-tall whale sculpture in China and gallery-scale lion sculptures.

The Crystal Roar series translates this gesture into smaller, more delicate forms like dragons, lions, rabbits, and elephants. Each sculpture begins as a digital model and is then cast in crystal using the lost-wax process.

Metal oxides are added during casting to create different colors, with each requiring specific firing temperatures. The crystal sculptures are then hand-finished through cutting, grinding, sandblasting, and polishing.

The crystal material influences how light interacts with each form, with different colors absorbing or reflecting light uniquely, giving the sculptures a sense of both weight and fragility.

These crystal works are part of Dick's broader sculptural language, which spans monumental public art, gallery pieces, and smaller collector items, all united by the consistent gesture.

Dick, who previously worked in 3D animation, is now based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and has public sculptures in China.

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