Eva Hesse and plastics: a study of collaborative fabrication

In the 1960s artists contributed to an optimistic moment for plastics in the United States, and were actively seeking out the material for its novel properties and abilities. Eva Hesse is seldom discussed in the context of the plastics industry, and yet her most ambitious sculptures in Fiberglas were created with fabricator Aegis Reinforced Plastics in New York. Hesse had begun exploring synthetic substances in 1967, attending classes offered by Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.), an organization that bridged artistic and scientific communities. Then, in 1968, Hesse hired Aegis, and together they constructed the Fiberglas sculptures at the centre of her solo exhibition at the Fischbach Gallery in New York, entitled Chain Polymers. While Hesse – the woman, the artist – often looms large in the literature on her work, this text brings a more complex understanding to her approach to constructing objects, shifting the focus from the mythological presence of the artist’s hand in her sculptures. Hesse was driven by the possibilities of Fiberglas as an active participant rather than an inert substance. This article explores Hesse’s turn to Fiberglas, her collaboration with Aegis, and the steps she took to find, harness and then construct with the plastic substance.