Laura Mathews
Ross the Velociraptor
Laura designs and makes articulated animal sculptures and puppets. Her work focuses on bio-mimicry and creating truly convincing impressions of life. She spends a huge amount of time designing each creature, studying the skeleton and muscular structures in depth.
Laura says: “I was always intrigued by biological mechanic, I remember my Mum having to repeatedly hide the dead blackbird I'd found in the garden because I kept finding and examining it, opening and closing the wings and marvelling at their beauty and precision. We also raised a tiny pink baby sparrow, which had fallen from its nest, into a fully-fledged adult. Watching the pin feathers slowly un-peel into a perfect flying machine was incredible, and hugely influential on my work.”
She works by sketching ideas on paper before doing more precise drawings with CAD, then laser cutting flat layers which are glued together before carving, colouring and finishing with leather and fabric details.
“My exploration into 3D design and printing has allowed for even further realism and complexity, and I'm excited for where this could take my work in the future. I am fascinated by biological mechanics, the interplay of bones & tendons, enabling dynamic motion. My work is an attempt to understand, through recreating these intricate structures.”
Nottinghamshire