Eggshell Powder as a Viable Sculpture Material: The Case of W.B.M Zion Senior High School
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Date
2018-10
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KNUST
Abstract
Materials used in sculpture play an important role since the artiste’s creative ideas comes
into accomplishment by working with viable materials in casting sculptural figures.
Therefore, there is the need for experimenting with unconventional materials that can
equally be used as an alternative to the conventional materials frequently used in the
sculptor’s studio. The use of conventional materials for practical works in teaching
casting increases the cost burden on students as well as students exposed to inhalation of
chemicals in some conventional materials that can gradually affect their health system.
Therefore, the researcher identified eggshells which is a nontoxic material and
experimented with it by converting it into a powdery material and the use of binders, to
be used as an alternative material for casting and modeling instead of the frequent use of
conventional materials. The society perceived eggshells as waste and therefore, the
researcher seeks to prevent the problems that waste causes to the environment. This
research employed qualitative and quantitative approaches of which Quasi-experiment,
Descriptive and Action research methods were used. Focus group interview and personal
observation of how eggshell powder was used as data gathering instruments. Three
research questions guided the study, these were: how can eggshells be experimented with
in art education? What processes are involved in converting eggshells into a powder for
casting? What is the outcome of using eggshell powder in modeling and casting? The
population studied were made up of Students and Teacher at W.B.M Zion Senior High
School in the Visual Art Department. Purposive sampling was used to select thirty-six
(36) sculpture students from both form one and form two class and one sculpture teacher.
They were selected based on their modeling skills. The study introduces the outcome of
the experimental work to selected art teachers in the Abuakwa North District in the
Eastern region of Ghana, in order to equip sculpture students to use eggshell powder in
their studios as a viable medium in art. The preliminary results of the research indicate
that the use of eggshell powder with binders was successful in casting and modeling
sculptural figures. The researcher therefore recommends that disposable eggshells must
be preserved and processed into a powdery material to be used by art Students for their
project works. Further research must be carried out to identify waste materials that can
be adopted for experimentations.
Description
A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science and Technology, Kumasi in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the
degree of
MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY