We were approached by the newly developed Lakes Distillery at Bassenthwaite, Cumbria to deliver a bespoke relief map for their distillery tour. The relief map was to be of a material that could withstand the public environment of a visitor centre and the potential wear of constant touching (the reliefs are very tactile). The relief map was to show their water catchment area in the Lake District fells and to sit on a plinth in the visitor centre of the distillery.
After initial consultation we settled on a round relief of 90cm diameter to be cast in bronze resin. The key area of interest was the river Derwent catchment which starts high up near Scafell Pike and runs down through Borrowdale, into Derwentwater, then on through Bassenthwaite before passing the Lakes Distillery on its way to the sea at the Cumbrian coast.
100 Hours of precision machining
After carving a master that required over 100hrs precision machining, I cast a silicone rubber mould before casting the bronze resin relief. Finally, I engraved the logo of the distillery onto the relief in the position where the distillery is sited. The relief map around 4 months to deliver from initial conception to installation.
Here is a pic of the bronze resin cast on my workbench prior to installation at the distillery.
