11 Panama Hats

Panama Hats 2010
Bronze h42 x w33 x d33 cm

Head: Panama Hats is the result of my experimentation with the bronze casting process.  I wanted to see if I could turn a pile of hats into bronze, as I loved the image they made when stacked.  It was also my way of supporting the local women in Ecuador, the creators of this amazingly fine hat, and to applaud the Fair Trade movement who are trying to build a better world in which producers like these women can earn a secure and sustainable livelihood.

Curiously, the Panama hat should actually be called the Ecuador hat, as that’s where they’ve always been made.  This misnaming came about when the Panama Canal was being built from 1903 to 1914 by the US Government.  The hat became a favoured garment of the workers, protecting them from the sun.  Hence the name Panama hat was born and has remained.

My five stacked hats presented me with quite a challenge and after talking it through with fellow bronze castors, I cut the top off four of them.  The hat at the top was the only one to remain complete, with the remaining four chopped-down versions piled below.  This created a cavity, where a central core would eventually be placed.  The next step was to make sure that the bronze could run into the overhangs (brims) by placing runners around each rim.  Once burnt out, these runners would form a route for the bronze to take, facilitating its flow to all the areas of the five hats.

After going through the usual burn out process, the hats reappeared in their present bronze form.  They had not cast completely despite the many runners I’d placed.  Maybe the space left by the original hats was too thin, or perhaps it was too far for the bronze to travel before it cooled and stopped.

Whatever the reason, the bronze had done its own thing again, pricking up the fine details of the straw weaving and the texture and detail of the fabric ribbons.  It had also left its natural meandering edge to the hat rims, a fantastic effect.  This is one of my favourite bronze heads.  It looks like the hats have been well and truly worn.