On March 31, 2015
the writing for dance class met and presented our sculpture projects that had
been in progress for approximately two weeks prior. These projects were created
using random objects that students brought in and shared with the class;
guidelines were given on how to approach the inclusion of each object into the
sculpture. To create an open atmosphere a circle of desks was made within the
room; this allowed for each student to openly present their project. It quickly
became apparent that though we all received the same objects, no two projects
were exactly alike and each project held a significant story within it.
My project was left untitled for the
mere reason that I did not think it was significant enough to be given a title.
In my opinion, a title is given to a work that is distinguished enough to hold
one; a title is an essential element that molds a work, be it a dance or
painting, into its own specific category. I do not believe my sculpture was a
work of art; it was artistic, but not worthy of a title or being displayed in a
gallery. A work of art has to be explored and critiqued multiple times over
before it holds a significance; true art comes from an incubation process where
the artist leaves their work alone so they can get out of their critical heads
and thus come back to the work with a fresh mind. I did not go through these
steps or process; therefore, I only consider my sculpture a reflection. This
reflection is in response to a prominent issue within my biological family.
My
sculpture was a clear wine bottle with a band aid stuck under the neck in a
diagonal line, a circular mass on the right side consisting of cut up wine
cork, small pieces of straw, and other various objects. Inside the wine bottle
was ash and ripped up pieces of poster settled into the base and a piece of
fabric stuffed into the top so nothing can fall out. The wine bottle alone
represents the human body and the piece of fabric stuck in the top hole is
necessary in creating a closed circuit for the whole project. We as human
beings are closed circuits, and we do not have a giant hole in the top of our
heads where organs may fall out, but everything in our bodies are linked
together. The fabric closing the wine bottle represents this essentialness in
our bodies. The mass is located on the right side of the bottle as a representation
of how my father’s cancer was condensed on the right side of his prostate.
Within this mass there were twenty-six straw pieces that represented how many
lymph nodes were removed from my uncle that were full of cancer. I got the idea
to create a mass-like structure from pure curiosity about what cancer
physically looks like; with all the recent news about cancer travelling through
my family I was wanting to know exactly what was it that was harming these
people. This led me to try and create my own form of cancer on my project.
The
ash and paper inside the bottle is also a representation of another mass of
cancer, although this one is a reflection on my personal feelings. This mass is
representative of when I was told I had pre-cancerous cells for cervical
cancer, hence why the ashes and paper are at the bottom of the bottle because
the cervix is in the lower half of the body. My emotions of annoyance are
displayed through this dark and smoky ash; the annoyance comes from the fact
that as a twenty-two year old I have to see an oncologist. Although cancer
knows no age, as human beings we expect ourselves to be completely healthy at a
young age, and this is where my annoyance stems from. The band aid was a
literal representation of the act and process of healing. For my father and
myself, we had to go through surgeries and then allow our bodies to heal
themselves, but my uncle he will have to go through radiation and chemotherapy
to rid his body of cancer.
My intention from the beginning of
this project was to create a work that somehow reflected and responded to
cancer, and throughout my creative process my intention stayed the same. In
regards to Dennis Dutton’s universal qualities, I would categorize my work
under a representation and special focus. The whole basis of my project was to
create a representation of cancer; by using 1st function elements,
like usage of space on the wine bottle, I was able to communicate the 2nd
function representations that were shown on my project. Every part of my
project was a representative of issues regarding myself and people related to
me. These representations were a part of the special focus of cancer. From the
viewpoint of Dutton’s qualities I can confirm that my project was a creation as
opposed to an object for utilitarian purposes. My wine bottle sculpture did not
in any way sustain life for a human, but it reflected on an emotional issue in
a cathartic way.
Leah Smit’s sculpture was a prime
look at 1st function design elements. Smit referred to her project
as an explorative 3D design sculpture that focused on radial shapes. When first
looking at this sculpture it appears to be a blossoming flower; this flower was
achieved by cutting vertical lines on a Starbucks cup with each cut piece
curling downwards to create the appearance of a petal. A second cup was cut the
same way and placed in the center of the previous cup and then strips of poster
was inserted between the two cups. The three layers gave the sculpture depth
and allowed the audience to view the work from multiple angles. Directly in the
center of these layers Smit, cleverly, placed a colored straw that also had
vertical cuts. This straw stood out within the stark white layers of the cups;
Smit did not comment on whether this color difference was intentional, but
regardless it was a successful decision. As a viewer I did not find any 2nd
function meanings; although it did create an image of a blossoming flower, I
would not consider it 2nd function, but it had a suchness to it.
Mario Florez’s sculpture titled Shed Some Light was a satirical
perspective on corporate America. When first looking at Florez’s work it is
clear that it was designed to look like a lamp; he used a clear vase as the
base of the work and from there stacked other various objects including a plate
on the very top to act as a lampshade. The literal image of the lamp was a 1st
function design element that Florez intentionally created. Florez did state
that his project started off as 1st function and then progressed
into 2nd function meanings. These deeper meanings were displayed
directly on the Starbucks cup; Florez had written words on this cup such as
poverty, which directly reflects how he feels the corporate side of America is.
As a viewer, I experienced his work as 1st function only even though
he did say it had specific meanings. Being able to experience this sculpture as
just a lamp was more satisfying then connecting to it on its 2nd
function meanings.
At the conclusion of class I was
more than impressed at what myself and my classmates were able to create. None
of our projects were even close to being true pieces of art, but our
individualities and own creative processes were artworks within themselves.
Receiving the opportunity to try my hand at creating a sculpture was a brand
new experience to me, and though it was not museum worthy, it pushed me as a
dance artist and allowed my artistic perspective to grow.
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