Weeks 4&5

21/12/2015-03/01/2016
Christmas break
Summary:
Over the Christmas period I chose to work on two main tasks. At the end of my three week sculpture workshop I was given a list of prompts and set the task to produce work from two of these prompts. Secondly I wanted to make headway with my studio practice. In my studio practice I'm focusing on two main themes Fear and the Human capacity for violence. Primarily I’m very interested in focusing on figures and original organic forms for a primary theme for my practice. I believe that a figure is the representation of a person’s body, physique or build. Form is very similar as it is the visible shape or outline of a figure. Therefore I see a figure more of the immediate view of a person the representation of their "form", whereas form is the actual construction.

 

Over the course of the Christmas period I chose to work on two main tasks. Firstly at the end of my three week sculpture workshop I was given a list of prompts and set the task to produce work from two of these prompts. Secondly I wanted to make headway with my studio practice. In my studio practice I'm focusing on two main themes Fear and the Human capacity for violence; which I want to convey through my own style. Primarily I’m very interested in focusing on figures and original organic forms for a primary theme for my practice. I like to look at figures as they are the perfect frame to look at if I want to incorporate another theme of interest such as distortion, disease or perhaps deeper themes such as fear or conflict.

However this theme raises several questions and ideas:

·         What is a figure?

 

·         What is Form?

 

·         What defines an organism?

 

What makes a unique/original form?-distortion/Mutation/wounds/disease?

 

·         What is distortion?

 

·         What is Mutation?

In answer to these I believe that a figure is a persons body, or rather the representation of a persons body, physique or build. Likewise from is very similar as it is the visible shape or outline of a figure. Therefore I see a figure more of the immediate view of a person the representation of their "form", whereas form is the actual construction, the three dimensional object that is a person or an animal. An organism is literally an animal or plant, a human or a single celled life form, yet I'm curious once a life form is dead does its body still remain a organism? Distortion, is the action of distortion, where a form or state is taken and altered be that something is added or removed. Mutation is similar to distortion however it can either be natural and therefore potentially could be progress, however could it also be distortion of organic matter through genetic tampering which causes regress and harm?

after considering the key words Figure/Form/Organism/Distortion/Mutation, I created this list of adjectives which ultimately inspire many more concepts and ideas that I can draw upon.

Physique, build, frame, body, proportions, torso, shape, form, stature, silhouette, outline, profile, shadow, human representation, image of a person, effigy, likeness, person, personage, individual, man, woman, character, personality, presence,  configuration, formation, conformation, construction, arrangement, disposition, appearance, outward form, appearance, exterior, contours, lines, figure, proportions, build,  anatomy, arrangement, construction, framework, format, layout, design, organization, system, planning, order, orderliness, symmetry, proportion, manifestation, appearance, embodiment, incarnation, semblance, guise, description, expression, kind, sort, type, order, class, classification, category, variety, genre, brand, style, living thing, being, creature, animal, plant, life form, entity,  organization, entity, whole, warp, twist, contortion, bend, buckle, deformation, deformity, curve, curvature, malformation, disfigurement, crookedness, gnarl, knot, misrepresentation, perversion, twisting, falsification, misreporting, misstatement, manipulation. 

 Construction, framework, anatomy, build, fame

These words are especially interesting as I find the anatomy of an organism very interesting as it is interesting to think if you were to change part of the framework of an animal how would it alter the general look of the animal. Furthermore the actual texture, colours and shapes of the anatomy of an animal is very interesting as it is completely original as it is never seen in the day to day world.

Considering all the above I began to work in my sketchbook to help start to generate possible ways of visually conveying these themes. Below are photos of my sketches.

 Below is my favourite sketch from above in which I've tried to create a human figure in a primitive animalistic position constructed from various unrelated body parts. I like the beastly nature of this and the chaotic appearance. 

 

Next I began working on my sculpture workshop prompts, First I chose to answer Appropriation: Borrow something from someone else; it could be an image, an object, an item of clothing, a piece of furniture. It could be borrowed through something that is handed over, or by making a photocopy, scan or a cast. It might be from someone you know, something you find, another artist who you admire. Make this thing your own through play and alteration, distortion or transformation. 

 To answer this I took a standard red brick (from my dads garage) and decided to change this by considering my own themes therefore I decided to change its form. When I consider a brick I think it resembles a sturdy form, a figure of durability, therefore I wanted to maintain a similar shape yet completely alter this interpretation. So I decided to shatter the brick with a hammer and then rescuer the sections with a very brittle material, I chose to use wax as it can change state depending on shifts in temperature, its also easier to break.

Above intact brick.

 Above the brick after it was shattered.

Above the brick now that it secured by wax.

Above are several photos of the wax joints, below is the finished piece. I like this sculpture due to its simplicity.

 Below I've completed a second version of my character mask, this time I started with a larger face cast which stretched further around the top of my head so that it would rest easier when worn, next I layered individual crosshatched strips extending from the edges of the mask to look like a chaotic web stretching back over the head; the intention of which was to create a chaotic transition between the mask and the wearer.

As with the previous design I began to flesh out the design by adding plastacine to create the various relief of the masks surface, which I then covered again in mod roc. Sticking to the concepts of the first mask I chose to completely cover the eye sockets again removing the sight of the wearer and obstructing the audiences view of the wearer's eyes. Furthermore to link in a sense of morality I chose to mould a skull like shape into the design whilst leaving enough areas with fleshy qualities lips etc... This is especially evident around the nose where I sculpted the bone structure of a nose around the cast of my actual nose.

 Finally I drilled holes through the lips and once again stitched up the mouth, this time using finer thread and closer stitches, therefore I'm still using the same concept as before however I see this as a more refined version.

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Week 3

14/12/2015-20/12/2015
Sculpture Workshop Part 3
Summary:
In this weeks workshop our primary focus was centred around looking at the idea of addition and reduction. When considering how addition and reduction relate to sculpture, I realised it isn't as simple as just calving off material or gluing new materials onto an existing form instead the change of shape, consistency, height, strength, state is also addition or reduction. The main task set in the workshop was to focus on addition and reduction, whilst working into a cube of plaster. My initial intention was to create piece very different to my general style I wanted to make a sculpture to how one feels during sleep deprivation. This concept had to change due to several hindrances caused by the materials. I really liked my final outcome, as it related greatly to my own style, it was beginning to look more figurative and flesh like. This has got me thinking can I fabricate other solid forms to resemble figurative flesh like figures?

In this weeks workshop our primary focus was centred around looking at the idea of addition and reduction.

What is addition? addition is the action or process of adding something to something else, increasing its mass, volume or density.

What is reduction? reduction is the opposite to addition, as it is the process of removing something from something else, decreasing its mass, volume or density.

When considering how addition and reduction relate to sculpture, I realised it isn't as simple as just calving off material or gluing new materials onto an existing form instead the change of shape, consistency, height, strength, state is also addition or reduction. This became very clear at the start of the workshop when we experimented with simple mounts of flour. we moulded domes of flour using bowls, these mounds were then used to experiment with the idea of addition and reduction. Below these are images documenting when we moulded the flour domes.

 Below these are several photos showing examples of how we chose to add or reduce the flour domes.
Image 1, here most people chose to flick or push flour off of their domes, I chose to throw a full bag of flour into one of them, in doing so I aimed to reduce the dome. Yet in hind sight I've added to the form  by adding an entire bag of flour, and reduced its size, its form its state. Image 2, in this image I removed the board with the flour dome altogether leaving the spray of flour from the previous example. In doing so I've reduced the sculptures state, yet I've changed its mass and form, I'm unsure if this change is addition or reduction. Image 3, alternatively this is the reverse to image2, the positive to the negative, this is the board with the flour dome without the spray of flour around it.

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 Below these are several other photos documenting other members of the workshops flour domes. which are interesting to look at as these show me how my piers are thinking and how they choose to work.

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Furthermore when it came to sweeping up the flour on the floor I found it intriguing how the flour kept a solid form yet moved like water as it was swept away therefore I documented the flour as t was reduced and swept away.

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 The main task set in the workshop was to focus on addition and reduction, whilst working into a cube of plaster, approximately, 25cm3. Below is the cube in its original state before I began to work into it.

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 My initial intention was to create  piece very different to my general style I wanted to make a sculpture to how one feels during sleep deprivation which to be honest was how I was feeling at the time. I wanted to shatter the cube into several large blocks which I would then crudely re secure into a cube shape using masking tape, the concept being that a solid form which has been subject to trauma is far more brittle and is on the verge of collapsing yet its will is loosely holding it secure; will being the masking tape. However this concept had to change as seen in image 2 me and a friend attempted to shatter our blocks by slamming them into the concrete floor of the car park. Image 3 shows the results of our efforts, basically the plaster was far stronger than I had anticipated therefore only a few large chunks came off.

Therefore I decided to carve into the block using a hammer and chisel, at this point I was carving without direction. however after a while the shingle like off cuts began to inspire me, I chose to hollow out sections of the block, which I would then refill with the shingles/offcuts, and allow them to poor out, showing a solid form that has been withered down over time. I really liked my final outcome, as it related greatly to my own style, it was beginning to look more figurative and flesh like. This hs got me thinking can I fabricate other solid forms to resemble figurative flesh like figures? 

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 Below is a photo of the final outcome, below that are several other photos from other angles. I prefer this outcome to my original concept as this relates ore to my own style.

 

Below are two examples of my piers sculptures from the workshop, the first is similar to my own, with the reintroduction of the off cuts, yet the general form has maintained its cube like shape, which shows how my concept could be reinvisioned. below that is another sculpture, one that I found interesting, the block has been left relatively untouched, yet the simple loop of steel running through it is addition and the hole for the loop is reduction, the general theme of this sculpture eludes me yet I still find it interesting.