Debra Franses Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom
CSM Alumni 2005, British female artist best known for "Artbags," which blend fashion, sculpture, and storytelling. My work involves encapsulating everyday objects, personal artifacts, and symbolic items within clear resin handbags, creating a fusion of art and fashion that explores themes of consumerism, identity, and memory.
The creation of an Artbag has been likened to freezing a moment in time. Objects are selected to tell the story and, occasionally, delicate items may need their own special mould. The silicone mould of the handbag comprises two to four parts and an initial layer is poured before the items are balanced where chaos and order interplay with colour and texture as the bags are curated and formed.
Liquid resin is poured, in layers to strategically place the objects as if they are balancing in air. Layers take days to cure as the slow process preserves the items without melting them at high heat as the resin gets very hot as it turns hard. Up to 20 layers can be needed to create the final artwork. This can take 6 – 8 weeks. If there are problems in the casting it’s necessary to return to the process again.
To remove any last traces of air, the completed Artbag is put into a pressure chamber; this is the most delicate stage of the process, as it is important to prevent any bubbles from being created in the resin. After the final cure, the Artbag stays in the mould for several days, before being sanded and polished to a high sheen.
