Morti
Modern Moai/Desktop Tiki
Modern Moai/Desktop Tiki
Meet Morti. Morti is a bit of a lab rat - a crash-test-dummy, if you prefer. To begin with, his name has a dual meaning. He began life as Mordi - short for primordial, or "the first"; "the beginning"; "the earliest stages". He later changed the spelling to "Morti" (from the root "mort" or "mortem") when he realized he was dead. Though Morti was not the first tiki I created, he did have the fortune - or, perhaps, misfortune - of being endowed with two important qualities. First, his design was simple and, therefore, easily replicatable in terms of molding and casting. Second, he was my least favorite of all the models I had carved and, therefore, the most expendable (mold-making and casting are relatively new practices for me and I wasn't sure how it would turn out or if the subject would survive the ordeal*). As such, he became the first to be molded and cast - he became the primordial beginning of his breed - and, as such, has been an easy target for ezperimentation. I use Morti to test various casting techniques and materials, as well as surface and color treatments. And, the occassional "drop-test".
*Morti, the clay model - may he rest in peace - did NOT survive his trial-by-fire, the mold-making process. The mold, however, turned out well. So, his legacy shall live on. His progeny have been reborn in a variety of plasters and resins and concrete mixtures - even as ice sculptures. Their contribution to the evolution of the tribe of the DeskTop Tiki will be great and shall not be soon forgotten.
