UNIT 2 explores the relationship between art and environmental sustainability with the theme “Waste Not, Want Not.” For this unit we are to think critically about the materials we use, the stories they tell, and their impact on the environment. We are to work with found or alternative materials, and consider the possibilities in everyday waste. The solo project is titled “Everything Can Be Anything“. There is a second collaborative project that is focused on learning metal shop techniques, titled “Being Human – Making a Monster“, see page 2 for more on that…
EVERYTHING CAN BE ANYTHING: Research Inquiry Attached below is a pdf with a record of my thoughts on reviewing the artist links provided by Angela.
U2-Research-InquiryIN MY OWN WORDS: I’m inspired to ponder items that I’ve kept around the yard or house for no obvious reason, but keep noticing (similar to Willie Cole walking by the discarded iron so many times). The first two sets of items are rusting hoops from a half-barrel that rotted away, and two metal circular frames used to make wreaths. I realized I had repeatedly decided not to recycle them, as though waiting to see what they were for. Decided to bring them into my office to up my exposure to them, handle them when the mood takes me, and just see what happened. After a few days of this, here is my first photo shoot with them…
Next stage: came across a collection of coiled-up strips of red paper from an earlier art piece by my partner Rick, that I couldn’t get myself to toss out. Made me remember his template of the plastic grid (an 2 x 4 insert for a dropped ceiling) and wonder if I could roll up other materials, preferably cast-offs, to stick in the little square pigeonholes. Tested some scrap aluminium flashing from the metal shop — yes, with effort they could be rolled to size. Further tests with different-quality reflective, opaque, or translucent materials , pigeon-holed into a round of the plastic grid cut to fit the circular frame, the whole shebang suspended to allow light to play through it. Below… some examples of materials testing…
Evolution — things keep shifting. Have spent the the first week of April in process with the art work, yes, but also with the deaths of a dearly-loved aunt and uncle. As I rolled coloured paper and tucked the rolls into cubbyholes, I found myself deeply comforted by this repetitive manual task. All along, I have been interested in the relief of this piece — the undulating shapes and shadows and contours, particularly with the play of light across the piece. This week, my thinking shifted toward the relief that the piece offered me, and the relief for my aunt and uncle at the death of their choosing, on their terms, holding hands at home in their own bed. I also wondered how others might respond to an offer to participate in creating relief. Here is my first attempt to put those thoughts into words… further editing needed, perhaps with input from peers at our Critique April 10. Is the work called Relief? Creating Relief?
Next steps: have created a framed rectangle out of more plastic grid, larger than the circular piece seen above. Idea to mount it on the wall, illuminated by a spotlight that travels through the circular piece (suspended from ceiling, free to spin). Hoping the light will do double duty: interesting play across the relief of the suspended piece and interesting shadows cast on the wall grid. I imagine seeding the wall grid with some pieces of rolled paper, and to provide a large basket of pre-cut strips multi-coloured paper (sourced from recycle bins), a writing surface and some markers, a rolling tool. The text, in whatever finalized form it takes, will be adjacent to the interactive rectangular grid. Will ask input from peers on how the invitation comes across, tweak the set-up as needed. Below is a quick mock-up made without installing the pieces, trying a side-angle of the spotlight and the circular piece at torso-height. For discussion in class…
April 24 – installing Studio for art show opening in a couple of days. Once I could see the piece mounted and lit, needed to rework the rectangular frame section. Realized the letters needed to change – switched from white to black paper tubes, and shifted the letters across the piece, to increase visibility and relief. First three photos below give the progression in colour and position, final two photos give the appearance ahead of the art show. Will repeat the photos a few times during the show, to show the outcomes as viewers interact with / add to the piece.
Over the week of the art show, viewers added pieces to the grid — Here are a couple of shots in process… not huge changes. A couple of thoughts in retrospect — 1) I could have made a more purposeful collection of coloured slips of paper, for perhaps a more cohesive “group composition”. — given that I was trying use scrap paper or items sourced from thrift stores, this would have needed a longer time span to assemble the raw materials. 2) Also, I could have scaled the available space on the grid to the likely size of the crowds, to give better odds that the space might have filled up.
