Art and digital security. Not exactly a natural match, but when Kaspersky approached The City & Guilds of London Art School, they asked for just that: a way to seamlessly bring together fine art and digital security.
The idea came about after Kaspersky staff moved office. The new office block, based in Paddington, was new, spacious and airy but lacked one vital ingredient: character. That’s where City & Guilds Art School came in: they ran a competition that set out to commission a new artwork that would express Kaspersky’s role in the IT security sector. After a short consultation, the winner of the commission was announced as Lois Graziosi, a 2nd year BA Hons Fine Art student who specialises in sculpture.
Lois’ idea was both bold and simple: to create a guard-dog for each of the APT’s (Advanced Persistent Threat’s) that Kaspersky helped to discover. After the initial research period, she ultimately settled on the Doberman as they were originally bred for security and protection due to their size and temperament.
It took several weeks for Lois to create the clay model which is now nearing completion. However, this is only step one of a multi-step process.
The final pieces will be cast in jesmonite, a water-based resin. The dog below is the clay model that will form the basis for the final pieces. A rubber mould will be made from the clay and then this will be carefully laid up with the resin to create each of the pieces. Lois plans to create seven in total: one for each APT discovery of the last few years.
The Art School is a not for profit, specialist art school offering undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Fine Art, with pathways specialising in sculpture and painting, Historic Carving, specialising in stone and wood, and Conservation of cultural objects, as well as a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design. Courses are taught by practising artists and professionals and prioritise skill- based teaching and a high level of contact time with tutors.
Set in Kennington, in the heart of London since 1879, the Art School offers a valuable alternative approach to Arts and Craft education in the UK.
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