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 Paul Goodrick - Environmental art and sculpture
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The Insulators - Positive version
The three Insulator sculptures
Large insulators on Sub-station site
These three insulators line up with the Sculptures

Summary

The Insulators sculpture is made from laser-cut steel and is based on the electrical insulators seen in the centre of the Broad Oak Nature Reserve site. Insulators themselves are made of ceramic pottery and isolate the electric wires from the ground and other things they are attached to. On this site they are very unusual-looking, and have a mysterious and dangerous presence. They have a "sculptural" power, suggesting something more than what they are. The sculptures of them can do this too. They vaguely represent the insulators, but have an organic feel about them. They might be fish, plants or keys. They are painted in "non-nature" colours with industrial paint. They are the same on both sides. Their position among nature raises questions about what they are doing there. The way that they were made, by an industrial process also raises issues about the artist's role. Is something art simply because he designs it - but this has always been the case - the great painting and sculptural masters like Michelangelo often only put finishing touches to their work. Anthony Gormley didn't actually build the Angel of the North himself.

Developing ideas from drwings
How they were made
The artist developed his ideas from what he saw around him - both nature and industry, in the form of the electricity sub-station. He then did lots of drawings to develop his ideas.
Making models (maquettes) from wood and wire
He made some models out of painted wood and wire which helped him to consider how they would be built. He decided on a durable material and chose steel - an industrial material - and industrial paints that would also suggest non-natural things. Blue, red and yellow are the prime colours, from which any colour can be made.
Cutting out the shapes of steel would be difficult and time consuming, so he discussed this with a steel supplier and the decision was made to have the shapes cut out by laser. For this, the artist had to make very precise technical drawings, which altered the shape to advantage, since it formalised the outline, making it more symmetrical and suggesting industrial process.
Next, the sculpture shapes were slotted into steel tubes and welded. Larger diametre steel tubes were set in concrete blocks to act as solid, heavy bases for the insulator sculptures to slot into. The steel sheet from which the sculptures was cut left the shapes of the Insulator sculptures as hollow spaces. This negative version, or "ghost" image, is displayed on another part of the Nature Reserve. (Click here to see it - and use the browser "back" arrow to return.
Technical drawing
Making the concrete bases
The blue sculpture merging with the sky
Viewing suggestions
Look at these with nature as a backdrop and say what you feel about this view. Then, get behind them and look at the background of the electricity sub-station. Try to line them up with the 3 electrical insulators on top of the zigzag wall. Can you see anything through the holes in them? Space can be just as important to sculpture as solid mass. Look up at the sky from the base of the blue one - does it blend in?
Look really closely to see how these sculptures have been made

Questions and answers
What shapes can you see in these sculptures? Fish, tadpoles, keys, flowers.
What is an insulator? Something used to make electric wires safe.
Why is it called "The Insulators"? Because it looks like them.
What is it made of? Painted steel.
Are they heavy? Yes, very heavy. It takes two people to lift the red one.
How was it made and how long did it take? In a factory by laser beam and then it was welded together and painted. It took about a week to finish.
Do they look natural? No. Why? Because of their shapes and colour.
From behind them can you see any real insulators? On the pylon and on a wall.
What colours can you see in this sculpture? Red, blue, yellow and green.
Which of these colours are prime colours? Red, yellow and blue.
Which two combine to make the colour of leaves in springtime? Blue and yellow.
How do you know this is not real nature? It's materials and size.
Why is it positioned among natural things? To act as a contrast and to make us think about the materials it is made of and the world that surrounds nature.
What does this tell us? It tells us things about itself - what it is made of and that it is man made and that organic things are different. It makes us think about where it is.
Is it beautiful? Yes and no. Ask why. Children to give an answer or an opinion.
Will it decay like a flower? No, it is not organic. The paint will stop it rusting

Other related artists' work
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Lots of artists use steel for sculpture. Anthony Caro, Anthony Gormley and Eduardo Paolozzi are well-known British ones. Caro often uses plate steel, Gormley designed the Angel of the North, but steel experts built it for him. Holes in sculpture are very important, since they break through the surface and make space important. Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore were the first sculptors to do this deliberately. Children can use cardboard to make sculptures like these. Try this in the classroom.
Anthony Caro - Steel sculpture