Metal Sculpture by Courtney Brown

This 1921 Corona 3 portable typewriter has such an elegant design, I couldn't resist using it as part of a sculpture that relates to the avian wing, with its beauty and symbolic implications.

The Latin root of the word Corona means garland or crown. The Greek root, however, refers not only to a crown but to other curved objects, similar to another word that means beak and is the same root word, korax, that is used for the bird family Corvidae, ravens and crows. Through this word play, I was able to make sense of my decision to put shiny black wings on an antique typewriter. I was trying to express a kind of exuberance, a freedom that comes from self expression.

When I design a sculpture, it's meaning comes to me in many ways, most of them not very logical. I try to tie feelings with concepts with symbols and historical references, creating a salad of parallel impressions that connect to shape, material, memory, conviction, unconscious influences and conscious ones. So, don't expect my interpretations to be textbook or conventional, they are a personal recipe.

In the case of this sculpture, I began with my decades-long appreciation for the Japanese art of jizai okimono, articulated animals, fish, birds, reptiles, insects and dragons made out of various materials from wood to mixed metals. Treat yourself to a search for the term, you will not be disappointed.

"Corona" is a fully articulated metal sculpture, however, she is not an automaton. Her movement is attached to the typewriter itself, extending only as far as the "FIG" button goes down.

The Octopus Typewriter can be found on many websites and social media sites:

San Luis Obispo Museum of Art

`"Self Organization" is a bronze sculpture that utilizes a 1938 Underwood 14" carriage typewriter as the foundation for eight individually sculpted tentacles. This sculpture is totally unique, will never have an edition or copy.

This hybrid creature comes to life and reaches for the letter "I", as a metaphor for all of intelligent life, that seeks to attain self organization and realization.

Neural network portrait of the octopus

Metal Sculpture by Courtney Brown

"Corona"

"Self Organization"

The Octopus Typewriter can be found on many websites and social media sites:

Print Press for the sculpture of Courtney Brown

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