A Threshold Moment: Entering a New Age of Monumental Acrylic Casting

Some projects arrive as commissions. Others arrive as milestones.

This sculpture, a 6-foot, 400-kilogram acrylic work by long-term collaborator Colleen McLaughlin Barlow, marks a threshold moment for Midton. It is the first project fully realised through our new autoclave, and with it, the beginning of a new era of large-scale acrylic casting at the foundry.

The work was always envisioned at a significant scale. From its earliest conceptual stages, anything smaller would have been a compromise – materially, emotionally, and conceptually. For that reason, the project was deliberately held back. Artist and foundry alike waited for the right moment: when the technical capacity could meet the artistic ambition without dilution.

Large-scale acrylic casting and technical control

As Europe’s leading specialists in acrylic casting and embedment, Midton has long operated at the intersection of precision engineering and contemporary sculpture. Moving into large-scale acrylic casting is not a departure from this practice, but a natural evolution of it. One that allows artists to work at a scale previously unattainable within the medium.

The arrival of Midton’s newest autoclave has fundamentally shifted what is possible. At this scale, acrylic casting demands absolute control over pressure, temperature, internal stress, and clarity. The autoclave allows us to push beyond previous limitations, enabling casts of unprecedented mass while maintaining structural integrity and surface nuance.

This sculpture is not simply our largest acrylic cast to date. It represents a redefinition of our practice: a move from scale as exception to scale as possibility. It opens the door to future sculptural commissions that demand ambition, patience, and trust, and sets a new benchmark for what Midton can realise in long-term collaboration with artists who think monumentally.

Craig Cameron
Managing Director

Craig’s journey at Midton began with his adeptness in illustration and model making. He revolutionised acrylic casting, developed multipart moulding processes, and established the model making department. As an effects specialist, he modernised the business using 3D technology and drove R&D initiatives, contributing to the company’s growth and success.