Louise Giblin

Louise Giblin
Louise Giblin, July 2014
Born	1963
Occupation	Sculptor

Louise Giblin MRSS (born 1963) is a British body-cast sculptor. She is noted in particular for her "Body-Casting Olympians" project.

Training

Giblin trained under Antony Gormley and Peter Randall-Page at Brighton Polytechnic (1982–86) and at the Chelsea College of Arts (1989–93). From 1990 to 1994 she was on the Secondary Education Advisory Group within the Design Council, London. She was elected Associate of the Royal British Society of Sculptors in 2010 and was elected a full Member in 2014.

Awards

Giblin was selected as the visual artist to represent the UK at the G7 of Art, part of a larger G7 of Culture in Florence, Italy.

Olympians project

This project aimed to record the physiques of five British Olympians in 2011. Each subject body-cast also had a series of surface decorations pertinent to their lives. Part of the profits was donated to the Headfirst charity, which funds research into brain injuries. This project led Giblin to be called "one of the world's leading body cast sculptors".

The body-casts weigh around 10 kg and must be worn for an hour whilst setting.

The chosen subjects were:

• Kriss Akabusi
• Beth Tweddle
• Dame Kelly Holmes
• Darren Leach
• Sally Gunnell

Living Legends project

This work was produced for exhibition at Gallery Different in London November 2014. The exhibition private view was attended by Michael Portillo, Heather Mills, Duncan Goodhew and Reuben Richards.

• Michael Portillo Head casting 2011 with a medieval Spanish town cast on the right cheek
• Lord Colin Moynihan Head casting 2012
• Heather Mills Body casting 2012
• Duncan Goodhew Head casting 2014 (with water ripples)
• Reuben Richards singer, three Head castings 2013
• Daniel Whiston, figure skater, star of Dancing on Ice Body casting 2014

War veterans project

This is an exercise in "historical memory": casting the hands and body parts of British Military personnel who have served in the many wars post World War One. The subjects include the artist's brother, Brigadier John McIntosh, who served in Bosnia. The project is planned to be exhibited until November 2018, the centenary of the last day of World War One, having begun on the centenary of the start of the war.

• 1941 WWII Wellington Bomber Flt Sgt (later Sqn Ldr) Cornelius Turner
• 1945–47 Palestine Sgt Noel Patrick
• 1951–52 Korea Gunner Bill Park
• 1970–93 Northern Ireland Maj Robbie Robertson
• 1973–75 Cold War Norway OS Lawrence Kidman
• 1976–77 Dhofar LCpl (later WO1) Julian Allerhead
• 1982 Falkland Islands Operation Corporate Mne (later Maj) David Sippitt
• 1985 Bosnia Operation Grapple (UN) Operation Resolute (NATO) Capt (later Maj) Michael Moran
• 1990–91 Gulf War Operation Granby Trooper Glenn Fitzpatrick
• 1993 Croatia Operation Hanwood Lt Col (later Maj Gen) Michael von Bertele
• 1994 Rwanda Operation Gabriel Combat Medic SSgt Nigel Partington
• 1998 Bosnia Operation Palatine Maj (later Brig) John McIntosh
• 1999 Kosovo Operation Agricola Capt (later Col) Patricia Gibson
• 2000 Sierra Leone Operation Palliser Lt Col (later Brig) Kevin Beaton
• 2005 Afghanistan Operation Fingal Capt Hitmung Gurung
• 2007 Iraq Operation Telic 10 LCoH P Smith
• 2007 Iraq SAC (T) Jon-Allan Butterworth (Paralympian Cyclist London 2012, Rio 2017)
• 2011 Libya CT (later Flt Sgt) John Kirk (Para Snow Sports Skier)

Other exhibitions

• March 2011 RBA Mall Galleries, London
• July 2011 Meta-Human, ROA Gallery, Pall Mall, London
• July – September 2011 Art of Imagination, Pennsylvania Institute of Technology
• Nov 2011 Edinburgh International Art Fair
• February – March 2012 RBA Mall Galleries, London
• March 2012 Glasgow Art Fair
• June 2012 British Olympic Foundation Event, Frant (Lord Colin Moynihan's estate)
• July 2012 Sculpture and Sport - A Celebration for 2012, The Octagon, Bath
• March 2013 RBA Mall Galleries, London
• March–July 2013 Beth Tweddle MBE sculpture at Museum of Liverpool
• October 2013 Lord's Cricket Ground, London
• March 2014 RBA Mall Galleries, London
• September 2015 Aberdeen Art Fair
• September 2015 Manchester Art Fair
• November 2015 Edinburgh International Art Fair
• April 2016 Art Revolution Taipei, Taiwan
• August – September 2016 Edinburgh Festival, Urbane Art Gallery
• September – October 2016 Cambridge Art Fair
• November 2016 Edinburgh International Art Fair
• January 2017 London Art Fair
• April 2017 Art Revolution Taipei, Taiwan
• April 2017 Taekwon-Do European Championships, Liverpool

Sources

• "Sport's golden girl immortalised in brass | London - ITV News". itv.com. 21 May 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
• "BBC News - Olympic athletes' body casts created by Louise Giblin". BBC News. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
• "Olympic athletes' body casts created by Louise Giblin - Worldnews.com". article.wn.com. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
• "Liverpool gymnast Beth Tweddle immortalised in bronze - Liverpool Echo". liverpoolecho.co.uk. 8 March 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
• "BBC News - Beth Tweddle sculpture presented to her in Liverpool". BBC News. 13 March 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
• "Beth Tweddle sculpture - ITV News". itv.com. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
• "Paralympian cast in aluminium - ITV News". itv.com. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
• "In Pictures: 'Chelsea Flower Show meets royal pregnancy' - BBC News". BBC News. 3 June 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
• "Olympian Series II – Beth Tweddle MBE - Museum of Liverpool, Liverpool museums". liverpoolmuseums.org.uk. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
• "Arte e Polis per la X Edizione di Florence Biennale - Fermata Spettacolo" 25.10.15". 25 October 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
• "Ski Stars Are Cast Away - Skier and Snowboarder Magazine " 30.9.15". Retrieved 25 September 2017.
• "Sculptor Louise Giblin In Bronze Hand Casts Of War Veterans – BBC News". BBC News. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
• "Sculptor, Louise Giblin, has created bronze hand sculptures based on members of the British military from Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells - Kent Online" 13.11.14". 13 November 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
• "WAR VETERANS, SPORT STARS & CELEBRITIES MODEL FOR TOP BODY CAST SCULPTOR – QARANC ASSOCIATION" 5.11.14". Retrieved 25 September 2017.
• "War Veterans Model For Body cast Sculptor – Army and You" 2.9.14". 2 September 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
• "BBC SE Today 2015 11 06 – BBC News". YouTube. Retrieved 25 September 2017.