|
|
Priscilla Denaci Deichmann
 Where else can a person touch an African grey parrot, a tree pangolin or a mud frog, but at the Bronx Zoo's newest exhibit, Congo Gorilla Forest? Okay...there's a catch. They're bronze sculptures. Still, they are nearly identical to the real thing--except for the bronze color, and the fact that they don't breathe. Nevertheless, no one will be disappointed thanks to sculptor Priscilla Denaci Deichmann and her detailed work on each piece.
As you walk around CGF, you might see Deichmann's work walking on a railing or perching on a wall ready to take flight. Deichmann sought to make the sculptures look as lifelike as possible. By giving the sculptures a sense of movement, it made her job more difficult because "if you exaggerate form it looks wrong," Deichmann explained. One thing Deichmann tried very hard to do was to make her sculptures appear as inviting as possible. She wants people to touch her sculptures. Because the patina is so dark, "touching the sculptures will make the highlights come out and people will be attracted to it," Deichmann said. Before she began the project it was anticipated that visitors would want to touch the sculptures. Therefore, they selected bronze because the "texture would be strong enough to withhold touching by the public."
Deichman sculpted the animals by looking at photographs, and having her work critiqued by different departments within the zoo. She had to resculpt a couple of animals but most changes were minimal. Once the departments agreed that her work emulated the real thing she sent it off to get bronzed. Deichmann says there's a lot of things she can't do, but something she can do well "is three dimensional form."
|
