Creating the busts inspired by Norman Parkinson fashion photographs

In perusing the Parkinson archive I was surprised to find some interesting correlations with my own work.  His placement and lighting of models often makes them appear very statuesque, almost living sculptures, so he clearly had an eye for strong sculptural form.  His images of giant hats and telephones emphasised this three-dimensional love affair and I translated these into real three-dimensions in the bust PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT. 
Intriguingly, just as I’ve done throughout my plaster bust collection, he searched for bizarre and incongruous juxtapositions of figure, object and scale, sometimes using iconic architectural structures to achieve this. Hence New York skyscrapers, the Eiffel Tower and a pyramid appear to balance on the heads of models and a girl caresses a giant sphinx, as referenced in the bust PHOTOGRAPHER.  
 It was quite a hunt through the world’s Ebays to track down miniature versions of the various icons he featured for the two busts I created, but it was very satisfying to have discovered this synchronicity between the photographs of Norman Parkinson and my own sculpture.

Kathy Dalwood