Blu Planet

In his book Adventures in Stationery: A Journey Through Your Pencil Case, author, James Ward suggests that as of 2015, Bostik was manufacturing around 100 tonnes of Blu Tack weekly at its Leicester factory. According to the Blu Tack website: “Bostik’s factory in Leicester still produces tonnes of Blu Tack every week - for decades, the recipe has been kept a closely guarded secret” Whilst the recipe may be a secret, University College London’s Institute of Making suggest that Blu Tack is a combination of synthetic rubber compounds and mineral oil, along with mineral fillers and pigments. While thinking about these astonishing quantities, I created a series of Blu Tack planets. Each sphere uses a combination of Blu Tack - Original and Blu Tack - White in different proportions. The results have an uncanny resemblance to NASA photographs of planet Earth, viewed from outer space. Each sphere is approximately one inch in diameter.