Project 4: Self Portrait as Utilitarian Object

Build an life sized self portrait using 1 material that you have never seen used in a sculpture before and/or you have a lot of them lying around. The content of your sculpture most show a conceptual link to the material you have choosen. Whatever material you choose, you must have enough of it to create something that can be life size, however the sculpture does not have to be figurative. The material you select must be the only visible material used to construct your piece, with the exception of skeletal, adhesive, or presentation materials such as hanging wires or supports.


You must work on the projects in class. Your grade will go down with each unexcused absense, or if you come in unprepared to build.

Definitions

Self Portrait: a portrait of oneself done by oneself. This does not have to be a literal representation of your body.
Found Objects/Assemblage: a sculptural technique of organizing or composing into a unified whole a group of unrelated and often fragmentary or discarded objects. How can you use found objects to represent yourself?
Utilitarian: pertaining to or consisting in utility, having regard to utility or usefulness rather than beauty, ornamentation, etc. What utilitarian objects best defines you? Try to think about what a specific utilitarian object is meant for, what job does it perform? For example, a light bulb is meant for illuminating darkness, whereas a recliner chair is meant for relaxation and comfort, and a hammer is meant for repair, but has a forceful element to it.

Artists

Adel Abdessemed
Tara Donovan
Cai Guo-Quiang
Rebecah Murtagh
Valerie Powell
Jean Shin
Chiharu Shiota
Ai Weiwei

Downloading Youtube video/audio using Safari

Steps for downloading youtube videos/audio

Visit the specific Youtube page for the video, for this you must use the Safari browser.
Open the Safari Activity window (window - activities on the upper toolbar)

Look for the biggest file in the list of files that open up, probably the only MB file.
Open your Downloads folder and control - click on this get video .flv file then "Open With..." and choose MPEG Streamclip.
Export the video to Quicktime for video files, and Audio for audio files (duh).
If you do Audio, it will save as an .aiff file, which you can later edit in Audacity.

If you do this at home, you might have to install the Perian plugin to get the .flv files to play in Mpeg Streamclip.

sketchbook assignment (week 10/31-11/4)

What did Cornell collect?
How did he make his artwork?
What inspired Cornell?
Find a picture of Cornell's work that inspires you or reminds you of yours...
Interpret the meaning of that piece
What have you learned in your investigation of Cornell that you can apply to your work?
What sound would you add to your work?

Materials for Audio

The school will be providing the materials for the audio portion. You guys/gals are in luck.

Joseph Cornell

The Joseph Cornell Box
Navigating the Imagination Flash page

Sketchbook Assignment

find 5 objects of any kind that seem to have outlasted their use.

in your sketchbook, draw a composition using all these elements, consider relationships in form, how would these things look like they belong in the same place.


write a story about these objects, one that considers the content of why these objects would be together. be as surreal as you like.

consider the size and shape of the container of these objects and bring the wood to class on Monday. The size of the wood depends on the size of the box.

Project 3 Memory Music Box

You will be creating a boxed assemblage sculpture, one that plays sounds when opened, like a music box. Inside the box you will create a sculptural scene using found objects. Also inside the box will be the speakers for the sounds, and these may be hidden or used in the sculpture.

Music boxes are often known for being an early escape into a fantasy world for young boys and girls before the age of electronics. They are precious objects that were meant to strike the imagination. They are often frequent used symbolically in movies such as Citizen Kane, The Silence of the Lambs, and Black Swan. In these contexts, the music box becomes a reference point for the main character's momentary decent in the realm of fantasy.

We will be looking at the assemblages of Joseph Cornell, among other artists. Cornell had a knack for creating sculptures using found materials that were both evocative yet mysterious. The narratives in his works were often irrational, surrealist you might say, and contained a certain childlike quality. The addition of audio in your pieces can add an interesting counterpoint to your sculptures.


Due Dates, more will be announced

Oct 24: come to class prepared with materials for box construction, wood and hinges. Wood should be around 3/4 of an inch to 1 inch thick. You may use a prezisting box for this project as long as it is sturdy and nice enoughto be considered a "precious" object.

Collect materials for electronic portion.