Aluminium foil and tin foils, which I used before, are materials, which allow effects no other material permits. It’s weight and reflections and its comparatively great strength is alluring.
Only by intuition, in a shamanistic style, did I create this animal sculptures.
I never reproduced, during the early years, something I  actually saw. It was more an attempt, to call presence out of my soul into my reality. It had to feel real for me and luckily my ability mostly fitted my imagination.
I love all living things and the vanishing of animal species was always a source of pain to me. With my imagination I could call all the endangered and lost species to let them live and multiply. Of course, I was always studying scientific animal lore, but this was completely separated from what I did in this part of my reality. Everything I knew had to go through my inner self to enter this special world. When I was grown up I was more able to merge these worlds in a conscious way. I never succeeded totally.
The flexibility of this material provides a multitude of movement. So my animals went through every movement without much work.
 

Though the appearing of Aluminium foil on the market ended the scarcity of material, it was always questionable. Aluminium foil needs primarily a lot of energy and is used in vast amounts for cooking and wrapping food in it. This appears to me not very intelligent. Salt in connection with humidity and acids too, corrode holes into the foil. Most foods contain at least one of these. This solute aluminium contaminates the food.
Good appetite!

A cook, who suggests cooking, for example fish, wrapped in aluminium foil, has either no idea of simple chemistry or thinks metal taste is an exotic spice. The incorporation of vast amounts of aluminium is at least suspicious in its health aspects. It is enriched in the brain. A good replacement is baking paper. For barbeque I recommend the use of leafs, such as banana, corn, cabbage etc. even some  aluminium foil wrapped around the baking paper seems reasonable to me. Aluminium foil that is soiled with food usually ends in the dump or even in the environment.

Though Aluminium is the most common metal in the earth’s crust (about 8%) it is naturally not present in its pure state. Clay and minerals such as feldspar and mica
contain great amounts of aluminium compounds. Pure aluminium is poisonous
for plant roots even if its compounds are present in all soils. So don’t use it as pot
substitutes or decoration of pots. Plants usually don’t die, but grow less vigorous. For art and technical use I believe aluminium foil is acceptable, sometimes even ideal. But wash your hands before eating. Human sweat includes salt and is acrid. After heavy use
you can even see dark colouration from the metal. Its even visible on food, such as fish filet,  after long contact. These facts are easy to be found in the www. (apart from the sites controlled  by the aluminium industry)

 

My search for other metal foils (copper, bronze, silver, tin) was never successful . All my mails and letters to German producers weren’t answered. Art is probably no business. I am not against intelligent use of our resources, but I hate abuse just for money. If you have connections to producers, I would appreciate, you, to make a contact. The first piece made out of the new material will be a reward to you.  This applies even to oversized aluminium foil which I am still looking for. The German producers never answered my inquiries and now that I have revealed my opinion about aluminium abuse it will be even more difficult.
 

In spite of all these facts mentioned above, I do workshops for aluminium foil sculptures. I communicate there the intelligent use of aluminium. It's no throw away article, its precious. Aluminium foil is great for sculptures. With my 50ty years of experience most possible problems turned up and where solved. Only absolute flattening leads to recycling.
If you know some German, or just for the pictures, have a look at my last workshop.
It’s the site of a primary school: Volksschule Ahorntal. These Mobiles, but Christmas tree decorations too, out of aluminium foil are looking great. The works on the school page where the result of one school day. 
 

In small numbers I do such small animals on demand please contact me, if you are interested. For e-mail use the contact page

Price begins at about 8 € a piece plus + shipping.
Performances and workshops: Price on request.

Axel Luther
95444 Bayreuth, Eckenerstr. 4
Tel.0921/92195
 Atelier in Hollfeld,  Eiergasse 13
Oberfranken, Franken, Bayern, Deutschland