Mach studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee from 1974, then at the Royal College of Art, London between 1979 — 82. Following several successful shows and public installations, Mach was nominated for the Turner Prize in 1988. The sculptor Tony Cragg won instead.
One of his early coat hanger pieces was a huge model of the Polaris submarine made out of 6000 car tyres. The piece was plonked outside the Royal Festival Hall, South Bank Centre, London. Some maniac took exception to the monument and tried to burn it down. He failed to destroy the art but was fatally burned himself. Another contender for a Darwin Award methinks.
Mach builds the shape he wants to create out of plaster to begin with, then painstakingly adds 100’s, if not 1000’s of coat hangers around it until it looks like a shiny metallic beast.
More on the next page…
☛ Now: Incredible Underwater Sculptures
