Today's Class- Today we started a new project, though making use of a previously discussed concept- scale and proportions. Students were asked to create an installation space around one of the proportional figures from earlier this semester. Installation art is not just making a single three dimensional object, but creating a whole environment, with the whole space functioning as a sculpture. It can be created around a single object (such as a figure), or it can be just a bunch of stuff that together has some kind of meaning. I showed slide examples of two well known artists in this medium- Edward Keinholz and George Segal. (if you are unfamiliar with their work, you can probably find them in a general art history textbook, as well as all over the internet) For the first few years of this project I had students build a piece of the classroom, including some of the furniture, as in the first photo below.
Last year I opened the assignment up to the possibility of other environments- the main rule being that they should be in a scale relative to one of the figures created as part of the canon of proportions exercise earlier this semester. Below are some examples from last semester, using one of the figures created earlier. In keeping with the fine art examples shown in class, found objects can be included now.
How to make this up- Choose one of your two canon of proportions figures. Most go with the one in the original proportion, but you may use the exaggerated one if you prefer. Then decide if you would prefer to go with the classroom option (for which you will use foam core to recreate one of the large work tables, a stool, and one other large item from our woodshop classroom) or come up with some kind of theme for an installation. You can base such a theme on the original source of the figure, or see if something about the pose suggests something to you. (in the above piece, the student felt the pose was reminiscent of a surfer, and then built the waves out of bristol board strips and pretzel goldfish. ) You must create a defined space for the installation, which can be a specific floor space, or can be marked out with one or more walls. (no minimum size for this) You may construct it out of foam core, or use any other materials that you prefer, including found objects that may be suitable to your theme. You may use paint or other pigments to color the figure or other objects in your installation, just as artists were regularly doing in the 1950's and 1960's examples we saw in class. For installation style pieces you are not required to create realistic spaces and contents (this is your art), but you will be asked to present and explain your ideas in the critique, so give some serious thought to the space you are designing.
Homework- This installation graded project will be due at the beginning of class on April 12, 2016
The manufactured materials (plastics, etc) project is due at the beginning of class on April 5, 2016.
For next class April 5, 2016- We will begin the second to last project of the semester, using a discarded book as a medium to be carved. A standard book in the codex format (pages bound in a spine on one edge) is a three dimensional object, but one that can have its dimensions change and then be returned to the original state by opening the book, flipping through the pages, and then closing the book. The block of pages can be cut and carved as if still the chunk of wood they once were. You will have two main design options for this project.
A) Single View image- The book is opened to a single point (such as the inside front cover or the middle, to reveal a single three dimensional carved image. In the portrait image below, the dark marks are not pigment on the page, but deep shadow spaces made from being carved into the block of pages.
B) Changing View Image- What is cut changes regularly, so that as pages are turned, a viewer sees a different combination of spaces being formed in different sections of the book. In this example, positive and negative shapes change completely several times from the early pages to the later pages, a sculpture that evolves as the viewer moves through the pages of he book. Bits of the negative shapes later in the book can be seen through the cut shapes of the earlier pages. This example is very geometric, almost like architecture, but more curving, organic shapes could be attempted as well.
You may not draw on or color the pages of your book, but you can take advantage of anything that is printed on them as part of your design. In these examples, the students created single view images that had a variety of depth and color, which came from revealing bits of different printed pages.
You will be given two weeks of class time, plus some homework time, to produce one book sculpture, so take the time to consider all the possibilities before you begin cutting. All pages must remain attached to the book by their original binding, and be able to be turned individually. Glue may be used to repair torn paper, but not to make new constructions. The book must be able to freely open and close.
You will need a book, but having a second one as a back up is a good idea. I recommend hard cover, 250 to 300 pages. The subject doesn't matter, as you'll be cutting it up. Have an x-acto knife and plenty of spare blades, as they will get dull with use, and dull blades are as likely to tear paper as to cut it.
