If you love sea creatures, this one-of-a-kind octopus chandelier is certainly for you. The brainchild of Adam Wallacavage, it’s certainly making waves on the internet. And this is not the only thing that this sculptor and lighting designer creates; his 12-room Gothic Victorian South Philadelphia brownstone is stuffed with many other unique artworks.
It was while giving an underwater theme to his brownstone dining room that Wallacavage thought of making chandeliers that matched the theme. He was inspired by a glass jellyfish chandelier depicted in the book ‘Artforms in Nature’ by German Zoologist, Ernst Haeckel. However, he didn’t know glasswork, so he turned to cast plaster. He chose octopus because it could be made into any shape or color.
Wallacavage created a black-and-white octopus chandelier for his ‘Jules Verne’ room, using clay and latex mold that was a mix of Art Nouveau motifs and his fertile surrealist imagination. This kind of ignited a passion in him and he started building hand-sculpted chandeliers and much else.
For molded sculptures, Wallacavage uses traditional ornamental plastering techniques. He then paints the casted figures with pigmented epoxy resin, iridescent powders, and glitter. His octopus chandeliers, not only emulate the realistic forms of this sea creature but also portray the range of colors it can turn into.
Why Wallacavage loves sea creatures, especially the octopus, is because he was raised in the beachside town of Wildwood, New Jersey, USA. This imbued in him a lifelong fascination for period architecture and the sea. He loved art, but began his career as a staff photographer for ‘Thrasher Skateboard Magazine’. But art got the better of him and made him take up his first love – sculpting.
Wallacavage shares on his website, “After creating the chandeliers for my ‘Jules Verne’ room, I continued making more and in 2006, I was given my first solo gallery exhibition at Jonathan LeVine Gallery in NYC, USA. Since then, I’ve shown my work in many galleries and museums around the world.”
Wallacavage’s octopus chandeliers and other works are available for sale on several websites, such as artsy.net and others. He also does custom commissions.
Adam Wallacavage
