May 2012
Please follow this link to view my Thesis progress. (Due on May 17) Benchmark3_Benton_ThesisProjectMay2012PDF
April
This month I took down the temporary wall and instead built a room. It looks like a set design. It was a rough month for studio since I had so much going on in my own classroom. With April vacation I was able to dig in and produce some significant progress!
I’ve taken lots of photos and created a Powerpoint to view as well as that same Powerpoint in PDF version. Powerpoint of Thesis Progress PDF of Thesis Progress
My plans for the immediate future are to focus on the density in areas of the weaving that is currently in place. I’ll consider expanding after I see how a denser piece reads.
March
This past month I set up a temporary wall to emulate the area I’ll be using this summer in my thesis show.
I purchased a vintage style step ladder stool which (during our last meeting) I mentioned represented a similar stool I had growing up. This stool was important to me as I used it as a high chair, my mother used it as a step stool, I had my hair cut in it, I sat in it as a teenager, etc. I purchased the stool in all white and I am using it to stand and sit on while I work. At some point I will paint even the treads white and have the weaving over take it, absorbing it.
Currently the weaving is moving in a direction I am pleased with. I am looking at the work of Anne Mudge a lot right now. The loose gestural lines come together in moments of structure yet quickly loosen again.
My work right now is reading as a growth… I am purposely incorporating a vine like appearance and moments of control (ie. pod like areas). I’m using two sizes of natural colored reed for stable, more established lines, and thinner reed for newer growth.
I am paying attention to the the way in which the piece is responding to the space it lives in. It is and will slowly take over, attaching, growing over, and penetrating the walls around it.
I’ve also included a test picture in which I turned the lights in the room down and placed some battery operated tea lights* inside parts of the sculpture. I really liked the way this looked… as if these small parts are life sources of their own, yet still part of the whole. (*Simple LED lights could be used instead of the tea lights– these are just what I had on hand.)
I feel like I am on the right track. I will definitely be adjusting the wall opposite of the main sculpture. (The part with the largest pod like piece). I’m also thinking that the step chair will be taken over on the back of the wall (again, the side without the pod like pieces).
Here are photo of my progress:
Feb 16
After looking at the sculpture on the wall… (it’s doing nothing for me) I think that I’ll move it into the corner and have it ‘grow’ from there.
Progress as of Feb. 14th.
I spent time over the weekend and also on Mon. night incorporating blue into the ‘armature’ of my sculpture. I also began ‘de-constructing the weaving (third image to right below) that I featured in my Feb 9th post.
I hung the entire piece on the wall so I can live and look at it for a few days. It definitely looks like it is being stored on the wall instead of working as a unit. But of course I just got started so this is a part of the process. * Please also see Feb 9th post below.
Progress as of Feb 9th.
Weaving is incredibly time consuming and it seems like there is very little progress! These photos below reflect about eight hours of work. I’m starting to see some structural elements I think are working while other areas definitely need some attention.
Last week I started a similar process with my fourth grade art students. They were intrigued with what seemed like an usual process to weave as we usually use board looms. I explained that our looms were used for basket forms.
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I thought I would build a combination of written and video evidence of my progress this semester. Here is the first post to mark the beginning of the final stretch!
Step one of my sculpture installation
click on this image to see the video.
