Exhibition Text
Gaze
Installation
April 2017
Gaze is a mixed media installation meant to talk about body positivity and how people have a tendency to ignore inner personalities and focus on the physical qualities of a person. To create the piece I adhered gauze strips to a mannequin before removing it and hanging the sculpture on a large canvas.
Installation
April 2017
Gaze is a mixed media installation meant to talk about body positivity and how people have a tendency to ignore inner personalities and focus on the physical qualities of a person. To create the piece I adhered gauze strips to a mannequin before removing it and hanging the sculpture on a large canvas.
Inspiration
The main inspiration for this piece came from the work of Kevin Francis Gray. He is an Irish born sculptor currently working in London who creates semi realistic sculptures of the human form. The inspiration for his work has varied significantly during his career from exploring the relationship between abstraction and figuration in a series of semi realistic sculptures of cloaked figures covered in metallic gold and silvers, to the street tribes of London in a sculpture series that included the sculptures of 12 heads that look troubled and possibly disturbed. Each one was sculpted from a live model and many of them couldn't sit still for very long which led to the sculptures being more gestural and expressive rather than realistic. The piece I took most inspiration from was his sculpture Temporal Sitter. The sculpture depicts a shiny golden figure sitting on the ground, the sculpture is beautifully detailed and the entire sculpture appears to be flowing. I attempted to emulate this appearance of flowing liquid in my piece.
Temporal Sitter
2012, Bronze and Marble Base, 165x74x76 cm
2012, Bronze and Marble Base, 165x74x76 cm
Process
Brainstorming
When I started this project I was clueless about what to do for it. I began thinking of different themes to work from, one of which was body positivity/beauty standards. Once I had a theme to work with I started to consider how to show it, I realized that it would be easy to work with materials I had previously used on an ephemeral sculpture. This was gauze and an adhesive, I also realized that these materials could play into my meaning, using a semi transparent material could talk about body issues. |
Planning Sketches
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Construction
To create this piece I first found a mannequin to build the sculpture off of. This ended up being a discarded mannequin with only the upper body visible, I wrapped this in plastic wrap to ensure that when I removed the gauze it would come off easily. When the mannequin was fully engulfed by the plastic wrap I began to glue on the strips of gauze using the paintbrush and adhesive. I put multiple layers on the mannequin to ensure that the form would be strong enough to hold its own shape. When it had complete drying I cut off the dried exoskeleton and then reattached the two pieces together using more gauze. Once that had finished drying I began to add more gauze on top and on the lower portion of the chest to add more detail.
To create this piece I first found a mannequin to build the sculpture off of. This ended up being a discarded mannequin with only the upper body visible, I wrapped this in plastic wrap to ensure that when I removed the gauze it would come off easily. When the mannequin was fully engulfed by the plastic wrap I began to glue on the strips of gauze using the paintbrush and adhesive. I put multiple layers on the mannequin to ensure that the form would be strong enough to hold its own shape. When it had complete drying I cut off the dried exoskeleton and then reattached the two pieces together using more gauze. Once that had finished drying I began to add more gauze on top and on the lower portion of the chest to add more detail.
Reflection
In the end this piece turned out much better than I expected it to. Initially I thought it would look ugly because I didn't have much of a focus on the direction I was taking but somehow it ended up having a look that I enjoyed and fit my inspiration. The meaning of the piece was also surprisingly well interpreted, I believed it would be difficult to understand what I was trying to show but it turned out to be easier to understand than I thought.
ACT Questions
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork
My inspiration created several sculptures with the appearance of cloth flowing over them, I attempted to emulate this flowing form.
What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The author from my inspiration appeared to promote my artist inspirations work , the article was a discussion on one of his recent shows and it appears they attempted to promote the show.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
My inspiration created several sculptures with the appearance of cloth flowing over them, I attempted to emulate this flowing form.
What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The author from my inspiration appeared to promote my artist inspirations work , the article was a discussion on one of his recent shows and it appears they attempted to promote the show.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?