Description:

British sculptor Stephen Cox steps out as a David Bowie fan with his work that's simply called BOTTLE. The conceptual spark came from Kansai Yamamoto’s iconic outfit for David Bowie—an avant-garde form that echoed the optical geometry of Bauhaus artist Oskar Schlemmer’s costumes for his 1922 ballet Das Triadische Ballett. We interpreted an iconic moment from costume design history + pop art in the UK in an Indian craft through Stephen’s lens. The silver lines against black on this ballooning form echoes the core facets of Bidri: silver inlay against a black patinated alloy of copper and zinc. The work represents the sculptor's oeuvre but as a piece that's born out of the Bidri practice, it also stands as a first. The Royal Academician uses his masterful skill to create a joyful and elegant work. Cox sketched the work with different modulations then made a scale model out of wood. He worked with Bidri craftsmen M A Rauf and Bari, going back and forth between England, Bangalore and Bidar in north Karnataka several times to get the proportions right.