HUMMINGBIRDS

SPIRIT | The Macallan & Cirque du Soleil (2024) | Designed by Leslie Travers

These three hummingbirds were first sculpted out of oil based clay. The one model was then moulded from silicone and fibreglass and cast out of polyurethane resin. The wings were then detached and repositioned on two of the birds to create variations in the movement. The designer wanted to recreate the motion blur of their fast moving wings as if the image was taken with a long exposure. Layers of tuile were added in front of the wings. The tuile layers were tinted from light to dark creating the blurred effect. Unlike the colourful bodies (painted using a Rosco base and iridescent top coat), the solid part of the wings were painted with neutral tones in keeping with their feathers to add to the illusion of motion created by the tuile layers. They are suspended on thin white thread in a white steel frame.