Journey from Wax to Bronze

There are a ridiculous number of art and artifacts to marvel at inside the halls of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge – Kidani Village. With such a grand view to take in upon immediately entering the Kidani Village lobby, many guests pass by the first and perhaps most incredible of these art pieces. Just inside the entranceway, perched upon a table, is the Asante Clock.

The Asante Clock was commissioned by Walt Disney Imagineering expressly for the villas known as Kidani Village. The clock was created using an art form that dates back to Bronze Age and is known as lost-wax casting. Like many molding processes, lost-wax casting uses an artist’s original sculpture in wax to create a mold that can, after many subsequent steps, be used to cast a piece in silver, gold, or in the case of the Asante Clock, bronze.

Handcrafted in Cameroon, the Asante Clock utilized beeswax and charcoal fires along the path of the work of art’s creation. Small pieces of wax were shaped into the intricate pieces that would later be attached to the clock’s face. The Asante Clock, and its multitude of shapes, patterns, and designs are meant to symbolize the people, places, and traditions that are inherent to the spirit of Africa.

The great part about the Asante Clock is that it comes complete with its own journal. Situated right next to the sculpture is a notebook that briefly explains the time-tested art form of lost-wax casting. Additionally, and perhaps more intriguing is the lengths to which this small binder goes to in order to chronicle the actual creation process of the Asante Clock. It may not keep accurate time, but considering the investment of time that went in to crafting such a miraculous piece, is it any wonder that it has found a home welcoming guests into Kidani Village?