Thought developments at present stand...

At present I have had to think alot about the context of my work. I started with the struggle of why I spend my time 'making' and what value it has. I came to the conclusion that personal pleasure and interest is enough, and to start asking questions such as these is going to lead me nowhere.

Then I had to realise what exactly it is in my work that I am interested in. Materials, the processes and the form. Not only are these three subjects the essential parts of my work, but they are also the fundamental principles faced by sculpture as an art-form in general. Sculpture consists of space, weight, material and form.

I have also started to look at the "pyschology of creating". It is simply an subject that fascinates me. How we have developed a passion for aesthetic things to look at and simply take pleasure from, when our society demands physical participation and a function within society.

As far as my work is concerned I am continuously finding developments that I want to work on, however I need to spend time installing the finished pieces into an environment where I can see whether they work or not, and how. I have not given myself many opportunities to see my work in context.

branching extremities

Here are a few experimental photos from the installation of one of the completed 'branching extremities'. I want to install lots of them over the area of an enclosed room so they create an environment. These are made of lengths of wire layered in papier-mache, and an outer layer of mod-roc and then Latex and then hung from the ceiling with meat hooks and chain.

forms

More recently I have been working on a very slow process of papier-mache on lengths of wire. Initially I imagined them entertwined, but have decided that they may use the space better and not look too complicated and 'faffy' if they are more spread out hanging from the ceiling filling a room. I want them to each be the thickness of a finger and thumb when making a circle. I am going to cover them in mod-roc. I don't like the references of newspaper and the text and images distracting from the forms.

This is an extension of the hanging tube fabric I have used. It is one of the only forms that rests on the floor. I want to further this form once I have completed the tenticles. I am going to experiment with sand as the weighted end, and am aware that I need to look more at the space and location of my forms as they use their environment in its height and attracts attention to its surroundings as much as to itself. I have tried a couple of exteriors to give an idea of how they would be outside...

I am currently researching sculpture as a practice and its formal qualities and the significance of the 'object', as well as the importance and meaning of sensation in order to give myself a better understanding to what it is that I am doing as a sculptor.

more recently...

I have recently discovered a tube-socking material that comes in a roll and have been playing with plaster weights that are formed in the end of a piece of this tubing. I can see this being pushed and experimented with further, and really like the weight and tension shown with the plaster and the stretched fabric. I am going to see if they will free-stand using PVA, fibre glass, wax, and/or varnish. They also need to be multiplied and seen en mass.


This is a metal rod with papier machee, mod-roc, iron wool and pva. I am not sure if it is at all finished yet, and am having problems as to how it should stand. At present it leans against the wall, very heavy and unstable. I am not sure if a metal base would make it too monumental.

These are globule/cocoon-like forms that drip down from under a shelf at chest height so you need to bend down to see them. They are now white with a varnish, but I am not satisfied with the cleanliness of the white.

The magical world of Wikipedia...

‘Aesthetics is commonly known as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values….Aesthetics studies new ways of seeing and of perceiving the world.’

‘We can call a person, a house, a symphony, a fragrance….beautiful. What characteristics do they share which give them that status? What possible feature could a proof and a fragrance both share in virtue of which they both count as beautiful? …each art form has its own system for the judgement of aesthetics.

…there has been long debate on how perception of beauty in the natural world …is supposed to relate to perceiving beauty in art or artefacts.’

‘Yulem describes an object formed by natural processes, which possesses a set of intrinsic aesthetic characteristics that transform it into an object of unique interest. Only a naturally formed object that is recognised to possess such a unique or appealing character is considered a ‘yulem’ object. ‘yulem’ object is in contrast to a ‘work of art’ or ‘found art’. A ‘yulem’ object’s creation in unintentional and not the result of human forethought. ’Art’ objects are intentional manifestations of creativity. This distinction forces emphasis on a collective recognition of an object’s intrinsic aesthetic characteristics verses conformity to a pre-existing set of aesthetic criteria.’

‘Yulem objects are never dictated by aesthetic delectation. … Yulem objects are not based on a reaction of visual indifference with at the same time a total absence of good or bad taste.’

‘After an object is observed by others a consensus of its aesthetic value in built. If many recognise the characteristics of the object as uniquely interesting the value is great.’

Bronze...

This is the bronze at the beginning of the cleaning process. You can see where the channels of wax were attached underneath the sculpture in order to pour the bronze into the plaster mould.

Dissertation thoughts...

In order to contextualise my practice I need to know what it is that I do. It is difficult to pin-point something like that if you didn't originally aim at something specific or with a particular goal.
If I look at my work, the way I make it and what I say if I am questioned about it... I would say that 'process' and 'materials' are the essential part.

A vague form is controlled at the initial stage.

I.e, if it is going to hang, it will be formed around a length of rope. If it is going to be cube shaped, a cube mould will be used...etc

However, there is not a particular theme to which I am trying to direct the spectators attention. I simply enjoy the messy proceedures and the uncontrollable textures of the materials. It is a hedonistic process for me and I am not trying to achieve anything. The sculptures are a result of 'play'.

But why all the sculptures have a continuity or a characteristic of work produced by the same one person must be something to do with something subconcious. My inner characteristics of what I enjoy and finding aesthetically pleasing and my interests. I am aware of my interest in insects and the small intricate cycles of nature. I've always been fascinated with biology. And I think it is evident in my work. It is unintentional and I was not aware until it was pointed out.

But to find a subject of my work to contextualise and discuss is difficult. Prehaps I should look at the simple aesthetic value of art and the validity of meaningless art. Or materials and processes and what defines 'beauty'?

BEaUty

The subjective experience of "beauty" often involves the interpretation of some entity as being in balance and harmony with nature, which may lead to feelings of attraction and emotional well-being. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" is a common phrase that expresses this concept.

In its most profound sense, beauty may engender a salient experience of positive reflection about the meaning of one's own existence. An "object of beauty" is anything that reveals or resonates with personal meaning.

Giles Kent

Someone that I think has some aesthetic and uncomplicated way of working with natural materials.

www.gileskent.co.uk

"...an indulgence in purity of form for forms sake; yet it is a purity informed by the personality of the material and his experience of the natural landscape..."

Next development...

I am now working on one form in both bronze and ceramics. I have no idea where it has come from, but I feel that it is very 'earth-like', as though it has been born from something of the fundamentals of the earth.

I like their irregular form and the composition of three of them together.

In the ceramic form I am making a simple cast which will enable me to reproduce them and experiment with different finishes in the ceramic process.

Ceramic egg...

An update image of the egg...free-standing in ceramics. Now to be glazed...the next learning process begins.

The cast wasn't exactly perfect so there were a lot of irregularities and problems with forming the egg into one form. Using lots of vinegar and under some questioning eyes, I managed to produce my first complete sculpture in ceramics.

Animate...

I have had an idea for my long animation piece... simple and a perfect opportunity to really struggle with technicalities and learn. A bird´s eye view on bare feet as they walk along a paved street to a destination.

´the journey is the destination´

It will be nearly 2 minutes long and as the walk happens, different things are passed on the way, such as some money on the ground, some very high stilhettos, a puddle...

The music in the background has no vocals and is lighthearted.

These are photos of the feat of engineering that we have come up with to give the effect of the road moving...

The egg...

My design for a project to learn the casting and ceramic processes is in full swing.
There have been plenty errors along the way due to not having a clue what to do when or how. But with the help of some sympathic students and a lot of charrades, i am approaching a finished sculpture.

The egg-like form was primarily made out of clay around a contruction of wood and metal wire.


Once the clay form was complete, small rectangular pieces of metal were pressed into the clay to make a dividing wall in order to divide the sculpture into two halves. Special ceramic plaster was dribbled over the entire sculpture as a primary layer, and then two more layers were added in a thicker consistency. On the outer layer, pieces of wood were secured to the outside of the cast on each of the two halves using a hair-like grass with the plaster.



After this stage, once the plaster was dry, the line of metal pieces divided the cast into two halves which were gently pryed open. Unfortunately nobody informed me about the puzzle effect the crevasses and protruding parts of the form were going to have, and so the cast broke in complex places and the clay had to be dug out of the cast to free it.



After washing the cast and rescuing the broken pieces, I fixed the cast by patiently holding the shards in place and fixing them with thick plaster and hair-like grass. Once the cast was dry I sanded down the inside until they were smooth and washed off the dust ready to be used to form the ceramics.










Taking a small chunk of pre-prepared red clay at a time, I formed a smooth layer, about 1 inch thick, over the majority of the cast. I missed out the complex areas as I was aware from previous mistakes that the ceramic form would break. I added a supporting, grid-like structure of the ceramics to the interior of the sculpture. I am now at the stage of putting together the separate pieces to form the final sculpture.

a new leaf

Being in Krakow has provided no direct or obvious inspiration, and I feel as tough I am stagnant and in a rutt of no creativity. I never thought that a situation such as this, where I can relax for a year and just learn processes, would make me feel so frustrated and stale. I am sure I will return to England having learnt more than I feel I am learning, however I need to keep myself active.

I am turning over a new leaf.

I am going to play with messy materials in my room and maintain a development of thought.

This hanging pod is much like my other pods, although it is painted red and dripped with bee wax.