exhibition text
The piece is a representation of my momentos that once carried sentimental value but were eventually abandoned and lost in memory.
Inspiration
Tim Noble and Sue Webster were a root of my inspiration. Noble and Webster are artists that originated from London and whose work combines assemblage, light, shadow and humor. They collect objects ranging from borrowed souvenirs from their travels to objects found from digging through trash. Firsthand, their works appear as odd piles of garbage but in a different view we see that the piles are in fact precise constructions that cast well constructive and expressive shadows when a light is shown behind it. Objects chosen by Noble and Webster appear to reflect people’s actions through them. The silhouettes we see are adroit self-portraits and a revelation of the artists’ own role in the rubbish revolution. But these projections also symbolize the elusiveness of accountability, as our brains struggle to perceive the trash piles as the culmination of the small choices we make every day. Throughout time, Noble and Webster have collected undesirables from others. Ultimately following the phrase, “A man's junk is another man's treasure.” With these collectibles, they would build figures made of piles of broken furniture, everyday waste, deceased animals and other discarded goods. Many items were salvaged for they were seen as potential components of obscure future uses. The artists would completely refuse to acknowledge them as waste and instead saw them as inspiration. Transformations from garbage to abstract figures that Time Noble and Sue Webster make, bring out a new sense of a blunt reality and renewable progress is exceeding.
The piece was also inspired my momentos that once carried sentimental value but were eventually abandoned and lost in memory.
Planning
For the final product there will be one shadow sculpture that will replicate the work of Tim Noble and Sue Webster. This piece will contain items that represent me such as old toys from my childhood, interests I had as I grew up and things that I have used and am interested in recent times. Due to the composition of the objects they will form my silhouette when a light is shined from behind.
Knowing
Process
Firstly, I took a picture of my silhouette so I had something to work off of. I then looked through abandoned storage in my home’s garage and basement. I collected anything that has been forgotten throughout the years and once carried sentiment and played a role in my childhood. Objects extended from souvenirs from my Mexican roots to things that let me have something to hold on to. To replicate the process of my artists inspiration I noticed that Tim noble and Sue Webster would project a light while working and would continuously reference back to the original silhouette, ultimately I used the same method.I began by setting a box to be the base of project and marked where the positive ning should be in case it shifted throughout the process. Any broad shaped objects were used for the silhouette of the neck such as a tea box and cup. I also used CD’s to shape the head and placed them a specific way to create the lumps formed by the braids.
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When trying to form the chin I focused too much on the shape of it and did not become aware of how a part of the object I was using went past the edge of the neck. I also did not pay attention to the position of the projects base and it shifted while I attached the object for the chin. The mispositioning resulted in having to constantly redo certain features. After reattaching and repositioning I realized that the shape of what I was using did not match up so I took that part away.
I used a box of matches with a picture of the San Miguel hill in Puebla, Mexico as the underpart of the silhouette. However and issue I had with it was that it was too heavy so the glue could not hold it in place in the beginning. Also, again when I glued the box of matches to the rest of the sculpture I would continue to accidentally shift the entirety of the figure.
The features that were most difficult to find objects that matches them were the glasses and lips. I eventually found a way to form the glasses with the hand of a Mr. Potato Head toy but when positioning it part of the hand would stick out of the area of the lips. After finding objects that fit in place with the majority of the facial features, I then moved forward and used artificial flowers and a preserved rose to fill in the braid. However, it was proven difficult because for the most part I could not change the form of the flowers enough to accurately match with the actual silhouette of the braid.
Once I completed the braid, I moved forward to continue the lips and eventually found objects, such as a pudding cup, that most precisely matched up.
reflection
i believe the end product was an unexpected outcome because in the beginning of the process I faced an abundant of challenges. Regarding the composition of the piece I am satisfied enough to say that it is close to accurate in replicating my silhouette. In both the process and theme I believe that I followed through in comparison to Tim Noble and Sue Webster. However I know I could have developed a more effective way of assembling the objects together rather than using hot glue.