Mixed Media
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Growth
Mixed Media 0.61m(2ft) x 0.762m(2.5ft) January 2018 Exhibition Text Growth was inspired by the works of Andrew Goldsworthy. It was created to attempt to depict the feelings and descriptions of many common mental disorders and illnesses plaguing in today's society. |
Planning
Inspiration
The artistic inspiration of this piece came from the wide variety of works created by Andy Goldsworthy a British sculptor, photographer and environmentalist. However, my main focus was to create something addressing a very personal and also societal issue. I wanted to touch on the effects of depression and anxiety disorders that I have seen destroy people from the inside. It is very hard to see people go through this constant pain and fear throughout their lives, which can even lead to their suicides. That is what gave me the idea to create an assemblage of little "scenes"/visuals of the descriptions of these different disorders. I didn't want this to be a completely negative and depressing piece, and I wanted to try and show a personal solace to those times. The one thing that I can always rely on whenever I am in a really hard time in my life is nature. This lead me to find Andy Goldsworthy. I was heavily influenced by the way he was able to connect with the environment and with each of the separate pieces he would work with. The works that I was really drawn to were Roof, Melt, and his "stick sculptures"(I cannot find any specific names).
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Planning Sketches
For this page, I just wanted to get my ideas down onto paper and lay it all out. I have been sticking to my general theme of Conflict, of which I have been recently been branching out into Self-Conflict. I really wanted to focus intently on depression and anxiety, and any others that I had thought about went on there too. The top three that I settled with before I moved began actually sketching were Depression, Bipolar Disorder, and Anxiety disorders. I then went through the each of the types of mixed media and weighed my options. I eventually came down to a split between an installation and an assemblage. That indecisiveness led me to to try and create a mix of those two forms.
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This page was dedicated to designing my first aspects of the assemblage, what I had deemed "scenes", as I could not think of a better name for them. The first thing I had done to get ideas for these, I had searched for the ways that people who are afflicted with these mental disorders describe them. The first thing that I began to sketch was Anxiety. I've always described it as "constantly under pressure and overwhelmed", which I personally think is a very good way to describe it. When I picture some as being overwhelmed, I see them in the fetal position, leaning against a wall. Depression can be described in many ways, each different yet similar for everyone. One description that I had found really spoke to me; "It's like slowly drowning in quicksand, without a helping hand". Depression can feel like falling into some endless vortex and can make you feel utterly hopeless. I decided to quite literally create that image of drowning in quicksand. In my searches, I found a quite literal description of Bipolar Disorder; "You can experience the 'highest highs' and the 'lowest lows'". It like being on a fragile tightrope, never knowing when you will fall to one side or the other. This sparked two ideas: creating one single person split down the middle with different aspects on both sides, or creating two different scenes, one being positive and the other negative.
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Process
Experimentation
After I had spent the time collecting all of the materials, I was able to begin my process of creating this sculpture. The scope of my experimentation was rather limited for this project. Most of it was simply learning the correct/optimal placement for the different stone is a way that would be visually appealing and structurally sound. I had also spent some time creating some of the scenes for the top of the sculptures. To create the tree for the top of the stone piece, I had experimented with forming one out of reeds and linking them together with thorns. My goal for creating that part was to explain a metaphor of anxiety. It was to show a (lego) character cowering under a tree made up of reeds and thorns. I became far too challenging to actually create in the end, so I had settled for this red branch that I had also found on the lakefront. If I ever do create that other sculpture, I will be able to create the "quicksand scene".
Process
Gathering Materials: This may have been the most difficult stage of the piece to complete at the time. My goal has been to create this piece in my backyard. I am going to require a very large amount of rocks and wood in order to accomplish my task. I do have the materials required to create the little "scenes" on top of the other pieces. The first picture here is of the collection of stones that my family has collected in our backyard over the years. I planned to mostly only the flagstones from this pile and any others that I think will work. I then planned to go down to the lakefront and search for any stones and wood that might work with this. This probably took more time than creating the sculpture itself. I went on two separate days, one week apart. One thing that I was saddened by on my excursions was the utter lack of decent sized stones to take home. I ended up only finding stones large enough to fit on the top of the sculpture. Those stone had ended up being a mere 2-3 layers of it all. While I did not end up finding many stones to use, i did gather a large amount of driftwood from the area. I had gathered two full bags worth of wood (3rd picture) from the lakefront. However, due to time constraints and my general procrastination, I did not find the time to create the piece from the wood.
Creation: The overall time that I spent creating this stone piece here was probably about 2 hours. I began by using the biggest stones that I had as a base for the sculpture. I wanted to create a decent sized base, but not one that was too large that I wouldn't be able to finish it. It would have been pointless to create if I had created something that was far too small. I then built up from there, using smaller stones as I got higher up. Once I had reached the 9th layer of my stack, I began to run into some trouble. My sculpture had ended up falling over twice at that point. That time lead to much trial and error in the next 5 or so layers of the sculpture. Once I began to reach the last few layers, I had no more troubles and was able to successfully complete this project. I then added the twig into the top of it in relation to my planning sketches.
Creation: The overall time that I spent creating this stone piece here was probably about 2 hours. I began by using the biggest stones that I had as a base for the sculpture. I wanted to create a decent sized base, but not one that was too large that I wouldn't be able to finish it. It would have been pointless to create if I had created something that was far too small. I then built up from there, using smaller stones as I got higher up. Once I had reached the 9th layer of my stack, I began to run into some trouble. My sculpture had ended up falling over twice at that point. That time lead to much trial and error in the next 5 or so layers of the sculpture. Once I began to reach the last few layers, I had no more troubles and was able to successfully complete this project. I then added the twig into the top of it in relation to my planning sketches.
Reflection
I was overall pretty happy with how this project went. I think that it had turned out very well considering the circumstances. One thing that I wished I had done was have time to create the other sculpture with the driftwood and such. I think that it would have turned out better than this stone one. I wished that it had ended up looking more like the works of Goldsworthy, but it all depends on the types of the stone in the geographical area. In hindsight, this may not have been the best place/time to do it, as I was unable to get a great amount of ideal stones.
ACT Responses
1. Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork.
Andy Goldsworthy's art takes time and patience, something that was absolutely necessary for this type of art.
2. What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
I personally could not find any specifics on how Goldsworthy feels on my specific topic/inspiration.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Through my research, I discovered that is a significant portion (more than I had originally thought) of the US population that suffers from multiple different mental health issues.
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The theme that I have been trying to stay with so far this year is Conflict, in which I have branched off into Self-Conflict.
5. What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
In the end, I inferred that it doesn't matter who it is, it could be just some random passerby on the street; they could be struggling with these disorders such as depression or anxiety and these matters need to be taken more seriously.
Andy Goldsworthy's art takes time and patience, something that was absolutely necessary for this type of art.
2. What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
I personally could not find any specifics on how Goldsworthy feels on my specific topic/inspiration.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Through my research, I discovered that is a significant portion (more than I had originally thought) of the US population that suffers from multiple different mental health issues.
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The theme that I have been trying to stay with so far this year is Conflict, in which I have branched off into Self-Conflict.
5. What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
In the end, I inferred that it doesn't matter who it is, it could be just some random passerby on the street; they could be struggling with these disorders such as depression or anxiety and these matters need to be taken more seriously.