3

Improviser’s Toolbox: paper clips

FEATURE

homasin Durgin is a teaching artist in

Memphis, Tennessee and fabricates

jewellery using all kinds of metals.

Almost a decade ago she found herself

in a cubicle in a job that was “not a good fit” for her.

So she started creating art from the materials readily

available in her workspace -- paper clips. To make these

sculptures, Thomasin adopted the traditional basket

weaving techniques to work with paper clips. She

outlined the shape and then drilled holes into a wooden

base and glued several 12-inch-high heavy-gauge wires

into them. She then threaded two of these wires into

each paper clip, sliding them down and staggering

them into rows. This particular sculpture took over

2000 paper clips. Commenting on a photo of her

sculpture, Thomasin writes that the process is rather

aper clips are a wonderful medium

to express yourself creatively. Their

malleable nature allows them to be bent

into all kinds of shapes that can be held

over a period of time thanks to their sturdiness.

Armed with a pair of needle-nose pliers and some

glue, Brett took some paper clips and transformed

them into beautiful miniature weapons. Brett hasn’t

published the procedure for sculpting the paper clip

armoury, but you can reverse-engineer his process

thanks to the excellent macro photographs of the

creations by Brett’s friend, Dan Nicholas. Dan’s

images of Brett’s awe-inspiring work are detailed

enough to help you make out each and every bend,

turn, and twist of the paper clips. If you’re like

us, all it’ll take is one look at Brett’s rudimentary

weapons and you’ll be instantly compelled to try

your hand at creating them.

T

A

P

THOMASIN

DURGIN

BRETT

Project Maker

Project Maker

Project Link
hsmag.cc/jiKLUp

Project Link
hsmag.cc/grgFjq

PAPER CLIP

SCULPTURES

MINIATURE WEAPONS

limiting: “I’d like to adapt true basketry techniques to

be able to ditch the wood and create more rounded

vessels, spheres, etc. Then I can combine both

methods to make more complex structures.”

Right

Thomasin started

creating this

structure while stuck

in a wrong job using

the materials around

her cubicle

Right

Brett has patiently

shaped paper clips

into bows and

arrows, different

types of swords, a

gauntlet, as well as a

fishing rod