Baldy 1
Having asked Shaun to don his least favourite t-shirt and a rather stylish black bin liner we've started by putting on a vinyl bald cap.
I can be seen trimming the cap to fit in two_center 2. Once the cap is trimmed it is secured with spirit gum adhesive. We then applied a release cream to Shaun's entire face and neck, with particular emphasis on eyebrows and eyelashes to prevent them being ripped off when the cast is removed.
After Shaun has been sufficiently 'lubed up' we apply the casting material, a purple silicone-based compound called SkinSil. This is built up in layers using a large paintbrush. The SkinSil takes about 8 minutes to set, the whole process of completely covering Shaun's head took about 35 minutes. You can see this stage in Gunk 1 and 2.
The SkinSil is a soft rubbery material when cured and cannot support it's own weight. To provide the mould with structural support, a second cast of plaster bandage is applied over the SkinSil - it's exactly the same stuff they use to make plaster casts when you break a bone. You can see this stage in pictures Covered in Gunk 1 and 2. In CIG2, you can make out the pen and pad Shaun was given to facilitate communication since he was obviously unable to speak for over an hour. ('Makes a pleasant change...' or words to that effect was his wife's comment). After about 20 minutes, the plaster casing was hard enough to remove. It was applied with a weak zone running through the middle so it could be removed in two halves. The SkinSil was then removed by slitting up the back of the mould with scissors.
In Removal and Newborn, I can be seen removing the bald cap. The spirit gum is extremely strong and cannot just be ripped off, it is carefully removed using alcohol-based solvents to dissolve the adhesive. Moist and glistening after his ordeal, I commented to Shaun that he looked like he'd just been born - hence the name.
Photos © 2004 Natalie Martin