Isabelle | #2944043 | Sculpture.

The idea of broken glass has been consistent throughout the semester, and it became more relevant during this project. I think it also holds symbolism in terms of the emotional motivations behind the work. The idea of defacing is also evident in my final project. I defaced materials from the first project by cutting them up, then transformed them through photography and digital imaging, before experimenting with printing and layering with translucency. I continued cutting and folding to create forms that would be assembled onto a pane of Perspex, creating an effect reminiscent of shards of shattered glass. This is juxtaposed with photographs, which are defaced by being painted white, together creating a clean monochromatic architectural installation that features repetition of motifs and that interacts with light and shadow.

Thomas Hirschhorn’s works are most definitely monumental in size. The does pursues ideas on such a scale that it creates a ‘saturationist’ aesthetic. As such many of his installations are colossal and quite overwhelming. As a result, his works are very impactful, however this raises the question of whether mass, scale and saturation constitute monumental meaning. I think it is fair to say that these attributes are likely to attract the attention of an audience, however communication of an intended idea is then up to the artist’s curation of media. “Too Too – Much Much” speaks of consumerism, excess and waste, and I believe that Hirschhorn has utilized the above attributes to effectively communicate such ideas in his signature colossal style. “Flamme Éternelle” is another massive installation, which is this time unified by the extensive use of car tyres. They are simple forms of a single colour, which are effective when repeated on mass. I enjoy Hirschhorn’s use of masking tape to obscure the original surface of objects, and the presentation of this technique on mass is quite impactful. It is clear that Thomas Hirschhorn’s works of art are identifiable by their sheer mass. Despite the fact that I enjoy repetition and presentation of smaller elements and motifs on mass, and that I can admire Hirschhorn for his individuality and willingness to make a statement, I personally prefer a slightly more refined, perhaps less ‘outlandish’ resolution of sculptural projects.

Caroline Carlsson has used tessellated geometric shapes to create a corner installation that features light to emphasise form.

“Merzbau” by Kurt Schwitters: I really enjoy this work because it uses angular white forms to completely fill a space. The assemblage and tessellation of the elements creates an aesthetic similar to my recent arrangements of angular folded forms.

Ann Hamilton is another contemporary artist who uses sculptural installation as her medium. Her works are minimal yet organic, and they feature focused use of colour: often blue or white. From afar “Indigo Blue” appears to be an abstract textured form that focuses on colour. However, sensitive use of materials is evident through closer examination. She has used blue work clothing, steel and wood base, wood table, chair, light bulb, books (military regulation manuals, blue bindings), saliva, pink pearl erasers, erasures, net sack, soybeans, and the work was a site-specific installation that clearly paid tribute to the history of the location. “The Event Of A Thread” is a massive installation that maintains a refined and minimal aesthetic. I am particularly drawn to the vastness of the white and the organic fluidity in the movement of the material itself. However, it is the concept behind the work that really excites me. Hamilton created the work with the intention of interactivity, and in an interview she explained how people responded completely differently to how she imagined they would, but that she enjoyed this fact. This illustrates an openness and understanding of the difference between an artist’s vision and the interpretation of the viewer or participant. “Legend” is a work less monolithic than some of her other works, but it is similar to my visual exploration of patterning and repetition on translucency, but in this case she has embraced a two-dimensional presentation. Ann Hamilton’s body of work inspires me on many levels, but particularly in terms of a refined minimal aesthetic and conceptual awareness that is supported by materiality.

Ai Weiwei in a contemporary sculptural installation artist, whose body of work is large and varied. Despite the fact that each of his works stands alone with its own unique aesthetic, he creates sculptures and installations that have recognisable trait in common. In terms of scale, his works are usually large, often taking up a large portion of a room. They usually feature repeated motifs, often embodied by an assemblage of many smaller parts. This creates a cohesive aesthetic that is impactful due to its mass, but moreover draws attention to the beauty of the individual forms and shapes he selects and/or creates. Some of his works reference Andy Warhol, and in many cases there is evidence of Dada as an influence. For example in “Grapes”, he uses Qing Dynasty stools to assemble a large sculpture with a depleted yet balanced spherical composition. The stools have been made using traditional techniques of the Qing Dynasty, and as such his aesthetic exploration – using materials significance – makes reference to his cultural heritage. Personally, I am drawn to his works that are more desaturated in terms of colour, as opposed to works reminiscent of Warhol. I was initially drawn to Ai Weiwei’s work when I saw “Blossom” because my work has also included intricate smaller forms free of colour presented on mass. I also really liked “Forever Bicycles” because the mass of bikes in fact accentuates the detail of the individual bikes in a rather formalist way. I enjoyed “Coloured Vases”, once again for it repetition of similar forms and minimal colour palette, but also for the evidence of the painted medium, which is similar to my painting of photos. Overall, I am inspired by how Ai Weiwei has defined his style through intricate assembly of detailed models presented on mass in highly intentional compositions.

Following through on my idea of experimenting with photography (taking photos of my favourite people and obstructing them with white paint), I've taken a set of photos to use and experiment with. I actually really like how they look altogether, with all of the colours and warm lighting. I picked 8 of my favourites, following through on the idea of elimination and discrimination to come to a resolved image or artwork through ideation and reiteration of a process. Actually taking the photos with the sentiments of my emotionally driven concept was quite a powerful experience, and when I look at all the photos together I feel a sense of fondness remembering how I felt at the time. The idea was to paint the photos white, but this makes me sort of nervous and uneasy, which is interesting considering the fact that this project was initially an emotional pursuit. Since experimenting with layering and translucency, it has become evident that maybe obstruction of the photographs could take the form of imposing patterns over the photos.

I saw this artwork on Instagram a while ago and it really caught my attention. I love the way it uses light to create a three-dimensional relationship between the space (wall and floor) and a two-dimensional pane of perspex or glass. The transparency of the pane itself is juxtaposed with the opacity of the coloured marks which really accentuates the play on light, while the simple installation is very refined and effective in my opinion.

As I was sipping wine working on an essay the other night, I became voluntarily distracted by the lighting and shadows created my the wine glass and dripping. I think it's pretty cool how the light coming from different directions creates multiple shadows, resulting in a kind of trilogy between the two shadows and the glass itself. I've become interested in the interaction between light and transparent or translucent forms. It can have a rather mesmerising effect.

Leda and the Swan 1945 and Spiral 1945.  (Found in Moholy-Nagy edited by Krisztina Passuth 1985, 218-221)

After creating different patterns through printing and layering on translucency, I wanted to push further than two-dimensional images. I thought about making lanterns out of cylinders or cone shapes, but I didn't think the curved forms did justice to the patterns, so once again I was drawn back to a more angular geometric aesthetic achieved using similar folding methods to those developed in my first project. I then repeated the folded sculptures in an arrangement of different sizes and folded combinations.

After noticing how effective it was to layer the designs, I decided to print designs on top of each other in different rotations and combinations to create twelve unique images from the three designs. The process I used to achieve this was: I printed one of the images four times, then rotated and flipped that image to collate them in four different positions, and then put them back in the printer and printed four of another image, so when the layered result came out, one image was in the same position four times with four variations of the other image. When they were collated, the image that was repeated in the same position became more vivid because it was repeated four times, but the other image created a complex shadowing pattern underneath. I really like how different levels of intensity were created in the shapes from the different designs.

From my experimentation with digital imaging, I decided to try reintegrating the visuals with translucency. I created four combinations of the patterning I had previously created and printed them on 70gsm tracing paper. As I printed them, I noticed that layering the designs had a really interesting effect. The most populous design didn’t work as well as the three images with fewer larger shapes.

Quoted from Dezeen Magazine (2010)

Quoted from Dezeen Magazine (2010)

Quoted from Dezeen Magazine (2014)

Continuing experimentation in photoshop has led to a kind of cool patterned digital image. I started with the desaturated forms with a white background, and then repeated the shapes in different sizes and positions to create different spatial and tonal relationships. There’s an interplay between a precious stone aesthetic, paired with paper-plane-like forms, and a newspaper collage feel.