Steven Melton- Casting Artist Research

Stephen Melton is an artist who works with themes of death throughout his practice. I was first drawn to look at him due to his casting working with dead birds on crosses. This series of birds on crosses was brought a lot of attention from such as the Guardian newspaper, and they were included in the book ‘Ghosts of gone birds- Resurrecting lost species throughout art’. In a statement about his work Melton said: "I found the birds used within this series whilst wandering through landscapes, perceptibly having been killed for either sport or ‘land management’. The cross, though laden with Christian meaning, in this instance draws reference to the pagan use: life. The key to a sustainable future is to surely live in harmony with our ecology. Does the unnecessary killing of any species upset the balance…or do they have the answer to how we can live in a sustainable way?"

These pieces clearly have a deeper meaning to Melton, and are in fact symbolism to the attitudes in which he believes our species have. The symbolism of the cross will automatically be linked to the crusifiction of Jesus on the cross. The cross has become symbolic in the sense of sacrifation, in the biblical sense Jesus gave his life to save the lives of others. Within this piece and from Melton’s quote we are able to see that the cross featured in these pieces is symbolic for us as humans being the ones that are sacrificing the lives of other species for our own need. The sacrifice is not for any gain for others, but in fact greed from ourselves, sacrificing a life for our own entertainment.

The objects themselves are bronze casted using resin and found objects such as those of the dead birds. You are able to see Melton’s passion for nature and conservation in his pieces, using reclaimed and recycled wood to even create the wood for the birds crosses. Melton’s work is much more of a statement about humanities perceptions in the world rather than the life of the bird. The bird has been given up and sacrificed for us. 

These birds show a link to my current studio project in the way in which they portray animals showing human characteristics. They have taken on a sacrificial quality, related to Jesus being crucified on the cross. The lines here have been blurred in what species is taking on what quality.