Legacy of WW I soldiers marked by descendants in bronze masks

A sculptor in St. John's is honouring the memories of soldiers who fought in the First World War, by casting bronze masks of their legacy — the generation of their family living today.

Morgan MacDonald, with the Newfoundland Bronze Foundry, started the project, which he called A Hundred Portraits of the Great War.

When it's finished, it may be the largest piece of art in Newfoundland and Labrador, but for now it's one small story at a time.

"I wanted to find an outlet to re-tell these stories — to not just have the images we're familiar with, but to drill it down to a more personal, more one on one level," said MacDonald.

It's not the most comfortable way for participants to spend an hour; their faces are packed with alginate, the same material used to create dental moulds, as they breathe through a straw while it dries.

Family legacies

But for those signing up, the small discomfort means little when compared with the tribute to their ancestors who endured the First World War.

"This is really a legacy for these family members. This is a way for them to say that they remember," said MacDonald.

It's not unheard of to see somebody break down and cry, and about individuals they've never met and they've only heard of through their family stories.- Frank Gogos, project historian

Volunteers like Ryan Sulley have shared stories with MacDonald of family members who came back from the war.

"The family stories that I've heard are that when he came back, he got really quiet," said Sulley.

According to Sulley, his great-grandfather came back from the war a changed man — not an uncommon occurrence.

"All of a sudden, they were sitting there, chatting, having a smoke, and a shell went off and he looked back and his buddy had no ear," he said.

"I guess that was one of the things that really tore him up inside, really changed his entire personality."

Changed men

Frank Gogos, the project historian, said people sharing stories can still feel the rawness of their ancestors sacrifice, and what they really lost while fighting overseas.

"It's not unheard of to see somebody break down and cry, and about individuals they've never met and they've only heard of through their family stories," he said.

"It still affects people, a hundred years later."

The bronze process has been used to make sculptures since the bronze age. The wax hardens into a detailed mask, which is then used to make a ceramic mould.

The moulds take a month to harden, in order to survive the final fiery step. Then, the team fills the moulds with liquid bronze heated to 1,100 C.

MacDonald said the goal is to create 100 bronze portraits and arrange them into a permanent installation. When completed, it could be the largest piece of art in the province.