During my first exhibition at Art Source in the RDS, I couldn’t help but notice that there was an international rugby match happening that same weekend. A thought popped into my head – perhaps I could create a rugby ball using stainless steel?
I knew it was going to be a difficult task, particularly as I lacked access to large presses and had to rely solely on cold forming.
Experimenting with various methods, I did manage to get compound shapes, but nothing resembling a rugby ball! I created jigs to hold the steel in place and fashioned specialized tools to hammer the form into the contours I needed. Eventually, after nearly giving up, I finally achieved the shapes and size I wanted.
As a child, I remember playing with an old leather rugby ball that featured traditional lace stitching. I decided to incorporate this classic design element into my stainless steel rugby ball, but instead of the classic eight sections, I went for a more contemporary approach with four sections and a copper stitching effect. This was a design choice that I felt would appeal to rugby fans both young and old.
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Creating this stainless steel rugby ball was one of the most challenging tasks I’ve ever undertaken. And you know what they say – ‘if you can imagine it, you can create it!’
The ball adheres to all size parameters for a standard size 5 rugby ball in girth, length, and circumference.
It is made from 2mm marine grade stainless steel with a traditional copper stitching effect.
Each corner seam has a recessed groove with punch marks to emulate actual stitches.
The lace stitches are designed in copper with a wave effect as seen in the old-style laces.
Images show the various stages of the process of creating the ball and the result!
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