A Plant core

 The statues were formed by modeling wet plaster on a reed core, using plants that grow in Jordan along streams and rivers.

Closeup and community photograph of Phragmites australis (shot in Old Lyme and New Haven, Connecticut. Courtesy of Sr. Mary Ann Besitka, IHM, Drexel University, Philadelphia)

The bundles of reeds were lashed together using twine. The reed core provided a sturdy form onto which the plaster was modeled.

 Drawing of reed core (30k jpg)

Over time, this reed core disintegrated, leaving behind the plaster "shell" of the statue and a hollow interior. When modeled, the wet plaster took the impressions of the reeds and twine, which are beautifully preserved on the inside surface of the statue.

 Reed impressions on plaster fragments. The image on the right highlights the impressions.

Reed and twine were ideal materials for making the statues' internal framework. The reeds are light, easy to bend when wet or damp, and locally available.

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 Last updated: July 28, 1996

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