Nature and manmade summary presentation
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The document details the process and reflections of an art and design project focused on sculpture and surface design, emphasizing the balance between natural and manmade elements. Various techniques and materials were explored, including stenciling, screen printing, welding, and casting, while analyzing the works of other artists for inspiration. The author expresses that while the project was more successful than previous ones, there is still a desire for improvement in research and idea development.
Nature and manmade summary presentation
- 1. Sculpture and Surface Design Art and Design Unit 2 Tiffany Duneau
- 2. Cass sculpture park visit, theme compositions, and artist studies.
- 3. Here, I was able to record the different interactions between the manmade sculptures, and their natural environment, as well as experience the materials and the effect of the scale used in person, which became a great starting point.
- 4. With these studies, I tried to explore the theme as broadly as possible, in order to have a good base upon which to build my later ideas. I chose objects with contrasting characteristics, ones that displayed aspects of their opposite nature and ones that were a combination of nature and manmade in themselves.
- 5. Here, I focused on the way others used materials within their work –the degree of refining the materials went through and the combinations of textures, as well as the message they conveyed, which helped me when creating my sculpture.
- 8. Using the formal elements to develop ideas
- 9. These two examples show how I developed various designs, by altering the scale, and colours in order to produce a different effect or mood. I also used different styles of drawing, such as rough line, and mark making to create more dynamic and lively compositions, compared to clean line which produced a more man made feel.
- 10. The different processes I explored, safety, and their effect on materials
- 11. I first tried creating a handcut stencil, by using a craft knife to remove areas which I wanted printed. As a safety precaution, I used a cutting mat and a steel ruler for straight lines, in order to minimise the risk of cutting myself. I then tried a much quicker way, using Illustrator – I first converted my pattern into a path, which I was able to cut out on the laser cutter. An important safety issue here was the laser - it is important not to look into it as it cuts, as the intensity of light could severely damage your eyes.
- 12. To screen print, I first taped down my fabric and stencil to the printing table to stop them from moving, then laid the screen on top. After having mixed the right colour dye, I laid a generous amount onto the top of the screen and used a squeegee to push the ink through the screen. Here, the screen was partially blocked, which stopped some of the ink form coming through. When printing, I made sure to wear an apron to protect my clothes, and washed the equipment as soon as I could after printing my design.
- 13. I first used Photoshop to repeat my initial designs, which allowed me to change the colours and repeat by mirroring, rotating the patterns or simply tessellating them. With my black and white designs, I created photocopies, which I then reassembled by hand to create repeat patterns. I found this process good for exploring many different possibilities, however repeating digitally created more professional looking patterns.
- 14. The first models I made were paper, which allowed me to work quickly, but it was difficult to create anything strong, for example the curls of paper on the second sculpture. Capturing a sense of thichness was also very hard to achieve as the paper is naturally thin.
- 15. The method I used was spot welding, which is very quick, and works by melting the metal where the join will be, causing the two parts to fuse together. This works best when joining two flat surfaces or perpendicular wires. As the metal is heated very strongly, gloves should always be worn , and goggles to protect eyes from eventual sparks. Braising is an alternative to spot welding, but takes a lot more time and is less precise. It involve heating the two pieces of metal to red-hot temperatures, and melting braise into the join to fix it together. As a much larger area of the metal is being heated, it should be manipulated using tongs, and heat protective gloves.
- 16. A very versatile method of forming is casting plaster, any clay or plastic mould can be made and filled with plaster. It is quite brittle, however so cannot withstand much pressure if applied to a small area, and if any excess plaster remains after casting, it should be left to harden before being thrown away, to avoid blocking the sink. Vacuum forming is an alternative method, used to create a hollow plastic container. A sheet of plastic is heated until it can be easily deformed, and placed on top of a former. A vacuum is then created underneath, causing the plastic to fit around the mould and take its shape. When cool, the mould can be taken off and the hardened plastic trimmed to the correct size.
- 17. The way others have communicated meaning through their work
- 18. I researched the work of Tom and Bob Bennett, as their work related to how I had developed my sculpture. By analysing their work and what they communicated through it, I was able to gain a better appreciation of what my own sculpture would represent for the viewer.
- 19. How I conveyed meaning through my own work
- 20. For the surface design, I wanted to convey a sense of balance between nature and manmade, which I tried to communicate through the pattern, which is geometric yet filled with seemingly random details. The bold colours also add to the contrasts between nature and manmade, as the blue is a colour not often found in nature, whereas browns and yellows are abundant. The way the two main shapes of the design capture equal amounts of attention also adds to the sense of balance, as well as the continuous nature of the repeat.
- 21. I wanted to show the complementarity of nature and man made, and how they can become intertwined and sometimes even seem to reverse. I did this by constructing the sculpture so that all elements could represent both a man made or natural object – the curved wire seems reminiscent of natural swirls, but could also be a necklace chain, and the plaster resembles carved jewels, which are obtained from the fusion of man made techniques and a natural stone. The spherical shape of the structure itself suggests man made geometry, but is also a common shape in the natural world.
- 22. Overall I think I managed this project more effectively than the last, although I still have room for improvement, especially I terms of artist or design research, as doing more would help me to develop my ideas more in response to the work of others, and I would gain a better understanding of the impact of the formal elements on visual communication. I think I could also have taken more time when developing my ideas, in order to be able to think through my decisions more carefully, as I sometimes felt a little rushed.