Lucas Samaras did paintings at first after he graduated from Rutgers University with a major in art, but turned to using different media such as found objects, like many of the artists in his era. He was attracted to the Happening & avant-garde, both of which he took part in. What made him different from other artists was that he explored the theme of selfhood rather than social relevance and connection.
In his installation Room #1, he recreates his own room with things from his personal life, and in the center of it all is a single bed. The author feels that Samara's piece represented the gathering of pieces that makes up a person's identity, which needs to be done before being able to intergrate art and life together. The absence of the human figure emphasises the presence of someone that was there before. Many key symbols in the room such as the bed, where many intimate things take place, and the chair, which in early buddhism represents someone or a ghost who is no longer there, or “a sculpture base from which the real sculpture, the human figure, has escaped”.
This fixation with chairs led him to create more “chair transformations” in 1965 – 1970.using materials ranging from razor blades to wool and flowers, these symbolized the different aspects of human characteristics. Transition from 2 – 3d. For example, the monochrome painting functioned as “diagram of oneness/emptiness/ the void” in the fifties. About 1960, it became predecessor of Minimalist sculpture. Using the monochrome idea, Samara created a monochrome surface on which a nail sticks out toward the audience – instead of inviting people to touch, it is like a defensive armor, an outsider attitude that keeps people at a certain distance. More examples of his works that portray such a quality include pin-covered books & boxes. The author points out that boxes were “like a book” with information about things rather than simply just things itself. Important to flux artists as a break with aesthetic tradition because of its portability, its invitation to be found, and that it bypasses pictorial treatment. However Samara's box works have more in common with Cornell than with the Flux artists. Not about statements against easel painting or representation or the museum. Focus on inside & outside of box, suggesting secrecy & privacy, offering only a peek of its contents. Despite the prickly surface, they still invite the viewer to perhaps open the box, but only if they dare to take the risk – it is a take at crossing boundaries to find out more about the other party.
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Friday, December 10, 2010
Rachel Whiteread - Ghost (Review)
From the video, I learnt that Rachel wanted to make a cast of a room which someone like herself might stay in after coming out from college. Her small exhibition included 4 pieces , which would be found in the actual room and by casting the space of the room, Rachel “mummified the air in the room”.
The challenges she faced was that it took some time to find the grants, space for exhibition, and the room itself for casting, and it was an ambitious project for a young artist like her at the time. She was 27, out of college 3-4 yrs, took waitressing and other jobs on the side to support herself at the time, and did not have luxury of being a full time artist.
The experience from her works "closet" & "torso" helped her know the steps involved in casting large objects. Other artists that she looked at for 3-dimensional ideas include Ashley Veneer , Francesco Pierre paintings. how to piece the component parts together, perspective,
window, door, fireplace key element places, had to be cast in a certain way in order to be retrieved from the actual room
having no water, no electricity, she had to borrow these from the neighbor. As she had no car, she used a bike to transport materials like plaster. Despite the inconveniences she still enjoyed the process.
had to make false, flat foundation, the height of the room was inconsistent
flick plaster on wall, using hesiant in place, built 2-3inches
metal framework inside the plaster
when making the piece, the walls n room were made from plaster n glass, horse hair very old plaster, the walls were falling apart, fragile environment to cast
had to consistently repair the room while making the piece, can be seen in actual casting
go to studio spent 6 weeks on frame work
saw the light shining on door n light switch, eureka moment of the viewer being the wall
man in bristol had been in prison enclosed in a space u can't get out of, reminded him of being inside his pocket.
She felt touched by his thoughts
she thinks pple read all sort of things
piece to do with aura, physical dimension, where we eat, sleep, die, spend our time
The challenges she faced was that it took some time to find the grants, space for exhibition, and the room itself for casting, and it was an ambitious project for a young artist like her at the time. She was 27, out of college 3-4 yrs, took waitressing and other jobs on the side to support herself at the time, and did not have luxury of being a full time artist.
The experience from her works "closet" & "torso" helped her know the steps involved in casting large objects. Other artists that she looked at for 3-dimensional ideas include Ashley Veneer , Francesco Pierre paintings. how to piece the component parts together, perspective,
window, door, fireplace key element places, had to be cast in a certain way in order to be retrieved from the actual room
having no water, no electricity, she had to borrow these from the neighbor. As she had no car, she used a bike to transport materials like plaster. Despite the inconveniences she still enjoyed the process.
had to make false, flat foundation, the height of the room was inconsistent
flick plaster on wall, using hesiant in place, built 2-3inches
metal framework inside the plaster
when making the piece, the walls n room were made from plaster n glass, horse hair very old plaster, the walls were falling apart, fragile environment to cast
had to consistently repair the room while making the piece, can be seen in actual casting
go to studio spent 6 weeks on frame work
saw the light shining on door n light switch, eureka moment of the viewer being the wall
man in bristol had been in prison enclosed in a space u can't get out of, reminded him of being inside his pocket.
She felt touched by his thoughts
she thinks pple read all sort of things
piece to do with aura, physical dimension, where we eat, sleep, die, spend our time
Monday, August 30, 2010
Digital Sculpture Article Reviews
Article summaries
Ars Ex Machina – William V.Ganis
In today's era, many sculptors are making use of digital technologies to create virtual forms and then translate them into the physical world, which was not possible until recent times. This is thanks to rapid prototyping (RP), which “prints” 3-dimensional objects from the computer environment using a variety of materials such as polyester & resin. The digital realm offers sculptors a whole new range of possibilities that cannot be done by the human hand, such as art inspired by scientific and engineering environments, and it can also help to cut costs by reducing transportation fees, which is key to sharing information about these artworks. This form of art also allows it to be realized in RP machines anywhere in the world and for events to be held simultaneously globally. An example of such an exhibition is “Intersculpt” which was recently “realized by RP machines in 10 international venues as diverse as Auckland, Dakar, Hong Kong, Manchester, New Orleans, New York, and Paris.” Many universities have incorporated digital sculpting classes and RP into their curriculum, which indicates that not only is it recognized by faculty for its flexibility as a medium, but it is also in high demand by students eager to learn about the latest technologies. Currently the downside of the digital medium is that access to RP machines are limited and expensive. However some speculate that it will be more accessible in the future, and perhaps by that time more varieties of color and impressions of materials may be possible. The author feels that there is a long way to go before digital sculpture will “lose its industrial character and becomes identified with the fine arts.”
Discussion question: If it is easily spread over the internet, how do you protect your digital artwork from being reproduced and sold by others?
Digital Stone Project – William V.Ganis
In order to preserve the unique resources of digital stone cutting found at the Johnson Atelier (JA) Stone Division, the Digital Stone Project was set up as a non-profit collaboration together with several sculptors and the directors of JA Stone Division to pool money in order to purchase the equipment from the Atlantic Foundation. With these machines, works ranging from huge public installations to personal projects have been completed, such as the textured marble tile sets for the expressway in New York. Not only can these machines scan objects for replication, they save a lot of time in blocking out the main sculptural form in massive sizes, after which artisans can give the final touch-ups by hand-carving the details. The characteristics of a material can also be applied to other materials to give a different effect, such as applying the effect of marble onto plaster, or materials like cracked stone that would crumble under the traditional method of carving can be used. The machines are especially useful for rescaling a scanned object to a much-enlarged scale, and for making precision cuts of exact geometry. There are an increasing number of opportunities at institutions for artists to access such man-operated machines. Despite all these technological advances, it is important to keep in mind that the digital sculpt is merely a tool and the artist is still very much involved in the whole art process, from the concept to solving technical difficulties together with the technicians, and the digital method allows for many new possibilities that were otherwise unavailable before.
Discussion question: Is there a limit or boundary to how little the artist's hand is involved in the creation process before it is considered not a human idea/artwork?
Formotography – Harry Abramson
“Formotography” consists of three-dimensional data capture, digital modeling, and digital production. Three-dimensional data capture makes use of 3D laser scanners to translate the information of real objects in the physical world into the virtual realm; digital modeling is the creation or modification of virtual sculptures using Computer Aided Design (CAD), and digital production is the ability to create the virtual object using any material in any size using Rapid Prototyping (RP) or Computer Numeric Controlled (CNC) Machines. RP builds objects layer by layer and there are limitations to size, quality and material choices, but has the main advantage of creating highly detailed small objects. On the other hand, a block of material is carved by the machine in the CNC milling process. As the level of detail may not be as high, many artists use this method to create a larger scale of their works and add details by their own handiwork after the digital print process, thus saving much time and costs compared to if they were doing the whole process traditionally. Another advantage of the digital process is scanning objects for studies, documentation or making replicas of the original. This is especially useful for artists wanting to focus on the creativity area, marketing, as well as conservation. With the help of constantly improving technologies, artists are able to reach higher standards of technical accuracy, but what truly makes a work outstanding is the artist's vision and decisions made.
Discussion question: With the help of laser scanning devices, artists can scan humans and a sculpt of them can be created. How does it affect the value of work if another artist were to carve the same figure traditionally, and will it change how others view the artwork if they knew how it was done?
Ars Ex Machina – William V.Ganis
In today's era, many sculptors are making use of digital technologies to create virtual forms and then translate them into the physical world, which was not possible until recent times. This is thanks to rapid prototyping (RP), which “prints” 3-dimensional objects from the computer environment using a variety of materials such as polyester & resin. The digital realm offers sculptors a whole new range of possibilities that cannot be done by the human hand, such as art inspired by scientific and engineering environments, and it can also help to cut costs by reducing transportation fees, which is key to sharing information about these artworks. This form of art also allows it to be realized in RP machines anywhere in the world and for events to be held simultaneously globally. An example of such an exhibition is “Intersculpt” which was recently “realized by RP machines in 10 international venues as diverse as Auckland, Dakar, Hong Kong, Manchester, New Orleans, New York, and Paris.” Many universities have incorporated digital sculpting classes and RP into their curriculum, which indicates that not only is it recognized by faculty for its flexibility as a medium, but it is also in high demand by students eager to learn about the latest technologies. Currently the downside of the digital medium is that access to RP machines are limited and expensive. However some speculate that it will be more accessible in the future, and perhaps by that time more varieties of color and impressions of materials may be possible. The author feels that there is a long way to go before digital sculpture will “lose its industrial character and becomes identified with the fine arts.”
Discussion question: If it is easily spread over the internet, how do you protect your digital artwork from being reproduced and sold by others?
Digital Stone Project – William V.Ganis
In order to preserve the unique resources of digital stone cutting found at the Johnson Atelier (JA) Stone Division, the Digital Stone Project was set up as a non-profit collaboration together with several sculptors and the directors of JA Stone Division to pool money in order to purchase the equipment from the Atlantic Foundation. With these machines, works ranging from huge public installations to personal projects have been completed, such as the textured marble tile sets for the expressway in New York. Not only can these machines scan objects for replication, they save a lot of time in blocking out the main sculptural form in massive sizes, after which artisans can give the final touch-ups by hand-carving the details. The characteristics of a material can also be applied to other materials to give a different effect, such as applying the effect of marble onto plaster, or materials like cracked stone that would crumble under the traditional method of carving can be used. The machines are especially useful for rescaling a scanned object to a much-enlarged scale, and for making precision cuts of exact geometry. There are an increasing number of opportunities at institutions for artists to access such man-operated machines. Despite all these technological advances, it is important to keep in mind that the digital sculpt is merely a tool and the artist is still very much involved in the whole art process, from the concept to solving technical difficulties together with the technicians, and the digital method allows for many new possibilities that were otherwise unavailable before.
Discussion question: Is there a limit or boundary to how little the artist's hand is involved in the creation process before it is considered not a human idea/artwork?
Formotography – Harry Abramson
“Formotography” consists of three-dimensional data capture, digital modeling, and digital production. Three-dimensional data capture makes use of 3D laser scanners to translate the information of real objects in the physical world into the virtual realm; digital modeling is the creation or modification of virtual sculptures using Computer Aided Design (CAD), and digital production is the ability to create the virtual object using any material in any size using Rapid Prototyping (RP) or Computer Numeric Controlled (CNC) Machines. RP builds objects layer by layer and there are limitations to size, quality and material choices, but has the main advantage of creating highly detailed small objects. On the other hand, a block of material is carved by the machine in the CNC milling process. As the level of detail may not be as high, many artists use this method to create a larger scale of their works and add details by their own handiwork after the digital print process, thus saving much time and costs compared to if they were doing the whole process traditionally. Another advantage of the digital process is scanning objects for studies, documentation or making replicas of the original. This is especially useful for artists wanting to focus on the creativity area, marketing, as well as conservation. With the help of constantly improving technologies, artists are able to reach higher standards of technical accuracy, but what truly makes a work outstanding is the artist's vision and decisions made.
Discussion question: With the help of laser scanning devices, artists can scan humans and a sculpt of them can be created. How does it affect the value of work if another artist were to carve the same figure traditionally, and will it change how others view the artwork if they knew how it was done?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)