Module 1 — Scale
In Form and Materials, the semester was split into 3 studios using 3 different mediums. Each module produced a final sculpture that we critiqued as a class. In module 1, we worked in cardboard. The project requirements:
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At least one dimension larger than a human is tall
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All components must be three dimensional
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Must be suspended from the ceiling
My answer was Reclining Figure, 2023. I abstracted the human body into eight discrete geometrical forms in a process similar to how I approach figure drawing. I then hung them individually so that a human form would appear from one perspective. However, when viewed from other angles, the pieces are disparate. I also treated the shapes with sanding and ripped them to reveal corrugation. I wanted to make the medium of cardboard softer and more humanlike. Critique was on September 22, 2023.
Module 2 — Narrative
The next project took place in the woodshop. Our assignment was to construct a container out of plywood as a base for the final project:
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Must use at least 10 found objects
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Must narrate a personal memory, story, or relationship
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Must have at least one significant divider or shelf
I was inspired to investigate the Internet as a container. I constructed a box with slanted sides and a 45° top opening and painted it silver. The inside was filled with what I like to call "found object gore." I used bandanas, plastic bags, elastics, foam, thread, and dyed scraps of fabric to fabricate a grisly interior. The internet is an animal, 2023, by nature requires a lone viewer to look down into it. The gore is also not visible until the sculpture is approached; from a distance, the slanted silver surfaces emulate a device. I thought that innards would be a good way to explore the nuance of the Internet as a force in society. Yes, it can be repulsive, but it is also intimate and alive. Critique was on November 3, 2023.
Module 3 — Site
The final module took place in the plaster studio. We learned to cast using alginate, plaster, and plaster bandages and then carve the results. This final sculpture project was the most challenging of the three. Its requirements were more complex than the previous units:
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Two different found natural materials, each taking up at least a cubic foot
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A plaster cast of at least one major joint
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A sculpted plaster element at least one foot long in any direction
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Site specificity (either that it functionally could not be moved, or needed the space conceptually)
Pathology, 2023, was situated in an unused third floor classroom in the Corcoran. It consists of a trail of found trash and leaves leading from the stairs to a desk in the center of the room. The cast of a bent leg from the knee down 'sits' on a chair and the cast of a forearm from the elbow down rests on the table. A large plaster stalagmite rests on the seat of the chair. I wanted to depict my struggles with health diagnoses, so the sculpture is site specific to the exact room, chair, and desk where I was evaluated for ADHD through a Zoom call. The arm and leg pieces are cracked into parts. My intent was to describe the self-dissection, loss of time, dehumanization, and damage involved with attempting a diagnosis. Critique was on December 15, 2023.
