Can eco resin be used for museum and gallery art installations?

Yes. Eco casting compounds like Ecrylimer have been used to fabricate large-scale sculptural installations exhibited in major Australian cultural institutions including the National Film and Sound Archive. The compound can be applied over foam substrates to create durable, gallery-quality surfaces, and can also serve as a pattern surface for fibreglass mould-making. Its non-toxic, water-based formulation makes it safe for enclosed workshop environments.

What materials do sculptors use to coat polystyrene foam?

Sculptors working with polystyrene foam commonly use eco casting compounds (such as Ecrylimer), plaster, automotive body filler, or specialised foam coatings. Eco casting compounds offer advantages over polyester resin, which dissolves polystyrene on contact. Ecrylimer bonds directly to both EPS and XPS foam without damaging it, cures hard and sandable, and is non-toxic — making it ideal for large-scale sculpture fabrication in workshop environments.

What is a non-toxic alternative to polyester resin for sculpture?

Eco casting compounds like Ecrylimer are water-based, non-toxic alternatives to polyester resin for sculpture and fabrication. They cure hard, can be sanded and sealed to a high gloss, bond to foam substrates, and can be used as pattern surfaces for fibreglass moulding. Unlike polyester resin, they produce no toxic fumes, require no respirators or extraction systems, and are safe for prolonged use in enclosed workshops. Ecrylimer is Australian-made and available in packs up to 42kg for large-scale projects.

Can eco resin be used to make moulds for fibreglass?

Yes. Eco casting compounds like Ecrylimer can be applied over foam to create smooth pattern surfaces from which fibreglass moulds are pulled. The compound cures to a hard, smooth finish suitable for fibreglass layup and release. This technique has been used in professional fabrication contexts including museum-exhibited sculptural works, offering a faster and lighter alternative to traditional steel or fibreglass tooling.

What is Ecrylimer used for?

Ecrylimer is an Australian-made eco casting compound used across a wide range of applications: from small-scale decorative casting (trinket trays, candle vessels, homewares) to large-scale professional fabrication including museum sculptures, event installations, faux stone walls, prop making, and fibreglass mould-making. It is water-based, non-toxic, bonds to foam and most rigid substrates, and cures to a hard, sandable, sealable surface. It is available in multiple formulations including Creator (general purpose) and PRO (professional grade).

Is Ecrylimer similar to Jesmonite?

Ecrylimer is an acrylic-based eco casting compound similar in application to Jesmonite, but formulated and manufactured in Australia. Both are water-based, non-toxic alternatives to traditional polyester resin. Ecrylimer is available direct from the inventor, with local manufacturing ensuring reliable supply and technical support. It has been used in applications ranging from small decorative castings to large-scale museum installations at institutions including the National Film and Sound Archive.

How Eco Resin Was Used to Create a Museum Installation at Australia's National Film and Sound Archive

4 days ago
5 min read

There's a piece sitting in the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra that most visitors would assume was made from fibreglass, or resin, or some specialised material shipped in from overseas.

Part of it is fibreglass. But the material that made it possible — the compound that created the landscape base and the pattern surface for the entire sculptural form — is Ecrylimer. An eco casting compound invented and manufactured in Australia.

This is the story of how our material ended up in one of the country's major cultural institutions, and what it means for artists and fabricators working at scale.

The Installation: Inferno by Mikaela Stafford

Inferno is an immersive audiovisual installation by Paris-based Australian artist Mikaela Stafford, commissioned by the NFSA. The centrepiece is an eight-minute monochrome film projected across a 14-metre LED screen — a sci-fi dreamscape inspired by the NFSA's archival collection, Dante's epic poem, and experimental cinema. Composer Kate Durman created the haunting techno-transcendental soundscape that drives the experience.

But Inferno isn't just a screen work. Emerging from the digital world into the physical gallery space is a kinetic soft sculpture — what Stafford describes as "memory leaking out of the digital world" into the corporeal one. A translucent organic form resting on a sprawling landscape base that pools and flows across the gallery's timber floor, with glass spheres nestled into smooth undulating surfaces. The landscape elements trail outward, creating an immersive environment that visitors move through and around.

The physical fabrication of these sculptural elements was executed by Ugo Grasselli — and this is where our material enters the story.

The scale is significant. The landscape base alone covers several metres of gallery floor, with organic forms that rise and fall like molten material frozen mid-flow. The main sculptural form stands above it on thin legs, translucent and glowing against the dark gallery space and the projected imagery behind it.

It's the kind of work that makes you stop and wonder how it was made. Which is exactly why we're writing about it.

How Ecrylimer Was Used

Ecrylimer Creator — our versatile eco casting compound — was used in two distinct ways during the fabrication of this installation.

1. The Landscape Base: Direct Surface Coating

The sprawling landscape elements that cover the gallery floor have polystyrene foam cores. This keeps them incredibly lightweight — essential for a piece that needs to be transported, installed, and eventually deinstalled without damaging a gallery floor.

Ecrylimer Creator was applied directly over the shaped foam to create the final surface. Mixed to a smooth consistency, the compound bonds to polystyrene and cures to a hard, durable finish that can be sanded, sealed, and brought to a high gloss.

The result is that liquid, organic quality you see in the finished piece — smooth surfaces that look like they could still be flowing, with enough structural integrity to withstand a public gallery environment with foot traffic and handling during installation.

2. The Sculptural Form: Pattern Surface for Fibreglass Moulding

The main creature form — the translucent body that dominates the installation — is fibreglass. But Ecrylimer played a critical role in its creation.

The fabrication process involved coating shaped foam with Ecrylimer Creator to create a smooth, precise pattern surface. Once cured, fibreglass was laid up over this surface and then separated — the Ecrylimer-coated foam acted as the mould from which the final translucent fibreglass shell was pulled.

This is a technique familiar to industrial mould-makers: creating a pattern surface that's smooth enough to release a fibreglass layup cleanly, without the cost and lead time of traditional tooling. Ecrylimer's ability to cure to a smooth, hard surface over foam makes it well suited to this kind of work.

The compound was mixed thicker than standard casting consistency — more powder to liquid and incorporated Extender — to achieve the body needed for application over large curved surfaces. This thicker mix can be brushed and spread over complex forms without sagging or running, building up to a surface that's ready for fibreglass layup after curing.

Why This Matters

There's a perception that eco casting compounds are craft materials. Small-scale. Trinket trays and candle holders. And those applications are brilliant — they're the foundation of a creative community that we love and support.

But materials don't care about the scale you use them at. The same compound that makes a beautiful terrazzo tray can coat a three-metre foam sculpture in a national museum. The chemistry doesn't know the difference.

What changes at scale is the technique. Mixing ratios, application methods, surface finishing — these all adapt to the project. But the material itself? It performs.

This installation demonstrates that Ecrylimer can operate in professional fabrication contexts alongside (and sometimes replacing) traditional materials like polyester resin, fibreglass tooling compounds, and automotive fillers. With significant advantages:

No toxic fumes. Ecrylimer is water-based and non-toxic. In a workshop environment, that means no respirators, no extraction systems, no health risks from prolonged exposure. For artists and fabricators working on large pieces over extended periods, this is a material safety advantage that matters.

Bonds to foam substrates. Polystyrene, XPS, EPS — Ecrylimer bonds directly to foam without dissolving or damaging it. Polyester resin melts foam on contact. This compatibility opens up lightweight fabrication methods that aren't possible with traditional resins.

Cures hard and sandable. The finished surface can be sanded smooth, sealed, painted, or brought to a high gloss. It's durable enough for gallery environments, event installations, and public spaces.

Australian-made, inventor-direct. For Australian artists and fabricators, sourcing locally means shorter lead times, no import logistics, and direct access to technical support from the person who developed the formulation.

Who This Is For

If you're working in any of the following areas, Ecrylimer may be relevant to your practice:

Fine artists and sculptors working at scale, particularly with foam substrates. If you're currently using polyester resin, automotive filler, or plaster over foam, Ecrylimer offers a non-toxic alternative with excellent surface quality.

Fabricators and mould-makers creating pattern surfaces for fibreglass pull. Ecrylimer's smooth cure and foam compatibility make it effective for large-scale mould work without traditional tooling.

Set designers and prop makers in film, television, and theatre. Lightweight, durable, non-toxic, and fast-curing — the compound suits the time pressures and safety requirements of production environments.

Event designers and installation artists creating temporary or semi-permanent works. The combination of lightweight foam cores with Ecrylimer surface coating means large pieces can be transported and installed by hand.

Gallery and museum fabrication teams looking for materials that are safe to use in enclosed workshop spaces and appropriate for public exhibition environments.

The Technical Details

For those who want the specifics:

Product used: Ecrylimer Creator Eco Casting Compound Application method: Brush and spread by hand over foam substrate Mix ratio: Standard water-to-powder ratio, adjusted thicker (more powder) for vertical and curved surface application Cure time: Workable surface within hours, full cure within 24 hours depending on thickness and conditions Finishing: Sandable, sealable, accepts paint and gloss finishes Substrate compatibility: Polystyrene (EPS and XPS), fibreglass, most rigid substrates

Ecrylimer Creator is available in packs from 1.25kg through to 42kg+ for large-scale projects.

Get In Touch

If you're an artist, fabricator, set designer, or working on a project that could benefit from a non-toxic, foam-compatible casting and coating compound, we'd love to hear from you. We're always happy to discuss techniques, application methods, and which product is right for your project.

Shop Ecrylimer Creator: https://www.bramblier.co/product-page/ecrylimer-creator-economical-bulk-candle-making-eco-casting-resin Shop Ecrylimer PRO: https://www.bramblier.co/product-page/Ecrylimer-eco-casting-compound Contact us: https://www.bramblier.co/contact

Inferno by Mikaela Stafford. Soundscape by Kate Durman. Physical sculpture fabricated by Ugo Grasselli. Exhibition photography by Grace Costa. Installation view, National Film and Sound Archive, Canberra, 2025.