Today's Class- Today we made use of one of the products of an earlier exercise, and used it to explore another variation of sculpture- the installation. Installation art became popular beginning in the mid to late 20th century, the idea that sculpture need not be a single object created by the artist to be seen in isolation, but that it could be a group of objects made by or assembled by the artist, and that the whole resulting environment is the artwork. We looked at slides of two famous artists from early in the movement, George Segal and Edward Keinholz, and then students began creating environments for one of their previously constructed figures.
How to make this up- In the past I have had students take the original proportioned figure from the pair and use foam core and bristol board to build part of our classroom, maintaining scale proportional to the figure piece. Above and below are some of the examples.
I'm changing it a little bit this semester, allowing the students a little more creative control over the environments. Option 1: reproduce a portion of the classroom. Include one worktable, one stool, and one piece of wall, cabinet, or other furniture. These items must be of proportional scale to the figure, and made from the foam core and bristol board. Option 2: create a new environment that your figure can be a part of. No specific theme is required, though you should have a plan and be able to explain your choices. You need to construct some kind of defined space (backdrop, floor, etc) and at least one other object, using foam core and bristol board. Because Segal and Keinholz regularly made use found objects in their large installations, you have the option to make use of some other materials to set up your theme or decorate the environment.
Homework- This proportional room/installation graded project is due at the beginning of class on November 24, 2015. They will be critiqued, graded, and returned that day.
The plastic and manufactured materials project is due at the beginning of class on November 17, 2015.
The deadline for the museum paper is December 1, 2015. All will be evaluated that day, and you will be informed of any missing information so you have the option to redo it an resubmit it for grading. As long as you have it in that day, the regraded paper will still be considered on time. Papers will be accepted after the 1st, but will be considered late, and there will be no opportunity to rewrite papers submitted on the last day of class.
For next class 11/17/15- We will begin a new graded project using old discarded books as a medium. You will treat the block of pages as a sculptural material to be carved and use your knives to do it. Rules include that the book must be able to be opened and closed, and that the pages must be attached as originally bound. Color and images from the original pages may be incorporated into your design. No required subject. You will have two options-
A. Single view sculpture- The book is opened to reveal the sculpture. It can be a single item in heavy relief, as in the portrait piece above (those dark marks are shadows, not pigment), or a layered scene as in the example below.
B. Changing sculpture- A multiple layer design where the negative and positive spaces gradually change as the viewer moves through the book, resulting in an ever changing sculpture. Below are four different layers in the same book.
Bring a book of at least 250-300 pages, your x-acto knife and spare blades are recommended, as they will get dull and sharp blades cut paper much better. You won't be constructing with glue, but you may use it to repair torn pages.
