Bill Perrin

Bill Perrin studied Fine Art Sculpture at RMIT from 1975 to 1978.

In 1979, Bill began his career in education as a Technical Officer in Sculpture at Prahran CAE, advancing to Senior Tutor after the institution merged to form Victoria University. In 1992, he became a Lecturer at the Victorian College of the Arts, where he worked until 2007. Bill assisted in the development of the Foundry facilities at both Prahran and VCA.

Casting in bronze and iron became central to his sculptural practice. Moulds were taken from found objects and then reassembled to create new forms inspired by architectural and industrial themes. Bill also developed experimental ways of working in cast bronze and iron by working solely with negative spaces rather than wax positives. The result was not always predictable but often determined by the parameters of the process. The NGV has ‘Fireworks’ (bronze) 1988 in its collection.

‘Obelisk’ was inspired by the impact of forces of nature on the world around me as well as industrial processes and their effects on our environment. Casting in bronze is usually an exacting process whereby a sculpture is made in one material and then transferred exactly into bronze, often with thumbprint detail.

I chose to work more directly in molten metal for this piece, whereby the hand of the artist is less evident. I treat bronze as if it is molten lava flowing and seeping into crevices until it solidifies. Negative spaces were created with a timber mould. The bronze was poured directly onto the timber leaving the metal free to find its own path, at the same time reacting in a volatile manner with the combustible timber.

My final work ‘Obelisk’ could resemble ancient ruins where all that is left is the skeletal remains of something once extraordinary or majestic.”