Catalysts

The purpose of this project was to start from a point of research and expand upon that. Starting from Conceptual art, I considered pieces by Marcel Duchamp, Kurt Schwitters, and other Dada artists before looking at Assemblage art, and artists such as Jean Tinguely.

                               

  

To keep with the traditional attitude of Duchamp, I first experimented with whatever I had on hand - car registration plates, a toy keyboard, a CD and tape player, and later on, a sheep skull. It was greatly amusing to pull apart everything I could reasonably get my hands on considering the shorter time frame I had been given for this project than my previous two.

I assembled them and considered the new forms, shapes, and also any lack thereof. My experimentation wasn't so much in order to achieve anything, more towards discovery, and as a result this project has produced a series of different images that I could all happily use. I experimented with using the piano keys to obscure the letters of the plates, leaving them useless.

I have realised over the course of these few days' experimentation that I greatly enjoy making items useless.

 
  

 


To further this line of thinking, I considered how to transform these ‘readymade’ objects. After ‘unmaking’ them, I applied the same idea to them as I had the registration plates - how to best render them completely useless, yet again. By removing their only function, they could no longer be considered as the objects they once were.

At what point did the CD player stop being a CD player? When I took all the screws out, it was a potential CD player in different parts. When I glued the screws together and removed any possibility of the pieces being reunited, was that potential destroyed with any object we might still call a CD player? Or had that potential already been destroyed when I accidentally ripped with wiring from the speakers in an attempt to access more of the screws?

Questions like this might be travelling too far into the philosophical, however in conceptual art, it is ideas like this that may drive pieces.

The photograph above shows (from left to right) a piece of the plastic body of the CD player that once-was, a headless quadrupedal body made using wiring and circuit boards, and a sheep’s skull. From displaying the three once-were-objects next to each other, I am forcing an association between them; an outer casing, a structure of connections akin to motor neutral pathways through a body, and an organic, complete skull.

Whether this implies that they all fit together in some way, or tell some meaningful, disturbing story, is entirely subjective. However, these objects were all once part of something that had a function that is now impossible for them to ever regain. I think that bringing in complex ideas behind simple or seemingly random collections of objects is both highly enjoyable and rewarding.

Ultimately, I would have loved to have more time to simply keep unmaking objects, to keep re-assembling and to experiment even more with creating associations between them. However, as I have to leave the project, I am satisfied with the level of sophistication of ideas I managed to express in such a short space of time.

Record, Respond, Remake

The second project started with an object from Poundland. We had to analyse the purpose and function of the object, as well as the aesthetic, texture, and any other qualities we thought relevant or interesting.

My object, a packet of plasters, was my starting point. I spent time thinking over what meaning we ascribe plasters. Why is it we associate them inherently with childhood? Why are more plasters flesh tone as you grow older? Why are we ashamed of showing that we have a minor injury, when we know that there is no harsh judgement for a paper cut?

From the hand with plasters on it, I progressed onto the idea of a hand made out of plasters. To practise this, I made a small hand. This was hilarious, and I am glad that I made it, as it gave me an accurate prediction of how many plasters can be used to cover how much space.

After constructing this, I decided to make a perfectly scale plaster hand with the assistant of a patient friend.

The hand was photographed in a variety of positions as an attempt to experiment with different perceptions. I do wish that I could have involved a few more props and settings, however I had limited time and I am still incredibly pleased with the results of the experiments I managed to get done.

Because I liked the warm glow created by the lit up hand so much, I decided to keep it illuminated. I thought that this made the design a lot less 'creepy', as it had been pointed out to me multiple times how disturbing it was to see a hand with an 'off-flesh-but-near-enough' tone.

The above image is my final design - I researched average heights across the UK - if it stands at 5"6 it should be in the eyeline of the most adults as possible. The hand would be illuminated at the base, and provide the only light in the room in which it would be displayed. 

I think that the final result is both unsettling and charming at the same time. I don't believe I would change anything if I revisited this project, as I feel it was an interesting challenge to take on, involving completely new ideas and an unusual material.

Fixtures and Fittings

The first project of the 3D Design pathway started off with a cardboard box of fixtures; zip-ties, tape, wire, balsa wood, plastic, and cardboard. Then, the instructions to create 10 shapes.

These images show the first set of structures I created without thought. I immensely enjoyed this process. The next stage I took was to consider what each piece might mean, and how I could develop these ideas further.

These are refined versions of earlier pieces. I took themes I could see and attempted to make them far more obvious; family, flight, orbit, freedom. I noticed that all these new creations were suspended from above.

Then, I found a material in a box that had been delivered to my house - a lightweight plastic wrap, slightly spongey to the touch, and smooth. It was so light that it drifted softly and I found this very calming.

After looking at research into structures built like the ArcelorMittal Orbit, Seth Goldstein's calming sculptures, and the series of individual works by Allan Mccollum, I decided that I would use this material to create an installation in order to perpetuate a feeling of calm.

The installation would be a cubic room, featuring the packaging plastic hanging down in strands of different length. In the centre there would be a spiral staircase, that people could step up or down to be in the strands as they wanted.

Whilst I am pleased with the aesthetics of the final concept, I am not happy with the fact that anybody who can't climb stairs would not then be able to experience the installation to the full.

To rectify this, I considered removing the staircase, and have completed a few sketches of alternative shapes to the plastic. The best alternative I have found would be to cover the entire of the ceiling, ranging from long to short, so that you can walk from one end of the room to the other and back again. Whilst I am not sure this would solve all of my problems, it is definitely an avenue I would pursue if given extra time on this project.