Homework due 12/19/08

Part 1: Think of a sculpture that you've seen on one of our class field trips this year. If you need help, go to the blog posts for the MAM field trip or the Art Basel field trip. Make a detailed sketch of this sculpture, including every detail you can remember. Sculptures have many sides, so you will need to sketch more than one side.

In class, you were given a handout about the elements & principles of composition. If you don't have it, the information can be found here: http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/3902/

Part 2: Write a one paragraph formal analysis of the sculpture. Start with the focal point of the object, where your eye falls first. Select three elements or principles that are most strongly represented in the piece. What did the artist include in the composition that guides your eye to certain parts of the object?

Winter Break Project

Assignment: Make a sculpture inspired by an artwork that you saw in person at Art Basel or MAM. Think about the artist's concept and materials. Start with those ideas, and make them yours. The materials and form are up to you. Don't try to copy the piece.

The sculpture can be representational, non-objective, or fantastical. The minimum dimensions are 12"x12"x12". You will be graded on your idea, use of materials, and the amount of time you spend on your project.

If you have any questions about the assignment or how to do something, you can post a comment on the blog and we will respond.

This sculpture is due the first class after break.

Art Basel Field Trip

Nick Cave, Duane Hanson, Louise Bourgeois


Anish Kapoor, Yoshimoto Nara


Yinka Shonibare, ?

Field Trip to MAM

Pictures from the Yinka Shonibare show at MAM.

Soft Sculpture due 12/12

Like Claes Oldenberg, you will create a soft version of an everyday object that is normally hard. Choose an object that has interesting contours,no cell phones or iPods.

Homework for next week :
1. Collect materials you will use and bring them to class. You will need fabric (any kind, thick or thin, old or new), stuffing (old pillow, packing peanuts, crumpled newspaper), needles and thread.
2. Detailed drawings of the object you will create. Study and draw all sides of the object. Think about the planes and contours that make up the form.

Project requirements:
Minimum size 3'x3'x3'
No glue
Design and construction well-planned

Considerations
Scale: Blown up, shrunk, or 1:1
Choice of materials
Surface details(you can finish the sculpture however you want, by adding things to the surface, painting, it's up to you)

Claes Oldenburg pictures for inspiration

Strentgh and Structure Project due 11/14

Objective: To create a weight-bearing sculpture that is beautiful and functional.
Materials: cardboard, glue, and you

The Assignment: Use the materials to create a structure that holds weight (you). Your project will be judged on aesthetic qualities and strength. It should be interesting and strong. No chairs or benches.
• The lighter, and more whimsical the design the better
• Consider – smart & clean design with qualities for strength
• SIZE: Minimum height = 30”, minimum width = 12”, minimum lenght=12"

Materials you will need to bring to class next week (November 7):
1. At least 3 cardboard boxes of a good size (preferably more! – you can drop these off at the classroom in the morning)
2. Your exacto knife or box cutter
3. 5 drawings of possible structures

When you come to class next week, you need to be ready to work immediately. You will be graded on your 5 drawings at the beginning of class.

Pictures for inspiration:

Flying Paper Sculpture Due 10/24

Congratulations Spikey! Her cloud of tiny planes won the "Beauty" category at the New Millennium Paper Airplane Contest in New York. Photo: Paper Airplane Contest in NWSA Gallery (on Halloween)





Videos: Paper Airplane Contest in NWSA Gallery, Spectacular Failure Category

Your next assignment is to create an original design for a paper airplane. Think of it as a flying paper sculpture. Before you do anything, read this web page. Everyone in the class will be participating in this contest. We will mail your paper projects to New York, and the artist organizing the contest will find someone to fly them during the competition. If the link didn’t work for you, copy and paste the url below. Make sure you read all the requirements.
http://publicartfund.org/pafweb/projects/08/hobza/hobza-08.html

Now, decide which category you’d like to participate in and pre-register online (same website as above).

Categories:
Distance Flown
Duration Aloft
Beauty
Spectacular Failure

Now, make the best original flying paper sculpture you can that fits your category. Remember, flying paper sculptures in the Beauty and Spectacular Failure categories don’t have to fly very far.

On October 24, bring the following to class:
1. A detailed how-to drawing of your design so that someone else could re-create your plane.
2. TWO planes from your design. One will be sent to NY and you will keep one.

Our critique will be a contest using the same rules as the one in New York. When we send your planes and designs to the contest in New York, there is a chance your work could be selected for a book. Be very creative!

Video of the New Millenium Paper Airplane Contest

Project 4: Soap Carving

Photo Soap carving by George Ferrandi.

Homework due in class October 10:
1. Read this article about carving soap.
2. Collect & bring soap carving tools. Example: paring knife, anything used for manicures, hairpin, needle, toothbrush
3. Sketch 3 ideas for for soap carvings.
4. Experiment at home.

Final soap carving project due October 17.

Project 3: Floating Sculpture

You will create a sculpture that floats on water. It must be no smaller than 12 inches and no bigger than 20 inches in any direction. You will choose the materials. Experiment at home to find materials that will float and not fall apart in water. You can use cardboard but you may want to paint, wax, wrap in plastic, ect. We will be testing your sculpture during the critique in a public fountain, so test your works at home in a tub, pool, sink. Your work will be evaluated as such.

1) Concept and planning. **NO boats**
2) Craftsmanship of the sculpture.
3) If it floats in water.

Due September 26: Next week bring to class at least three drawings of your idea, as well materials you will need. Be prepared to work on your sculpture in class. We will be talking to each of you in class and answering any questions.
Final Project Due Date: October 3

Things that might float: Plastic bags filled with air, plastic containers with lids, apples, wood, etc.
If you make something out of cardboard, paper, or paper mache and coat it with something waterproof like paint or packing tape it might float.

Good Luck and have fun !!!!

Look at these links for inspiration:
Robert Smithsons's "Floating Island to Travel Around Manhattan".
Pocket Property by Andrea Zittel.
Ottero by Marta Pan.
Floating Aluminum Tree, in New York.

Project 2: Cardboard Replication (due 09/19)

Cardboard Replication Project
For this project, you will replicate an object from real life, using cardboard to recreate its volume, form and textures. Choose something that you can hold in your hand, no bigger than four inches in any direction. Your sculpture will be larger, between 18 and 24 inches in every direction. Your project will be more successful if you choose an object that isn’t too simple.

What you are responsible for bringing to class:
On September 12, bring the following to class:

1. A small object that fits in your hand. It can be something from nature or something from culture. When you choose your object, ask yourself:
*Will this object be more interesting when I make it bigger?
*Is it too simple or too complex to re-create?
*Does it have interesting form and textures?
*Will changing the size of the object change how we perceive it?
2. Measurements and sketches of every side of your object, and notes on its texture.
3. An Xacto blade or a box cutter. Keep this safely put away when you are not in class. Everyone will need a blade to complete this project.
4. A ruler.
5. Cardboard. Collect interesting kinds of cardboard (thick, thin, printed, shiny, plain)

****DUE DATE**** September 19 bring your finished project to class.

Important concepts:
Texture refers to the properties held and sensations caused by the external surface of objects received through the sense of touch. You will experiment with tearing, scratching, peeling, crunching, and folding your cardboard. These techniques will allow you to mimic the texture of your object.

Shifting the scale of an object in an artwork forces the viewer to pay more attention to it and think of it outside of its everyday context. Artist Tom Sachs’ NASA space shuttle, made of foam core at human scale, makes a high-tech object seem more approachable and unsound. On the other hand, his mammoth bronze sculptures of Hello Kitty show us a cheaply made child’s toy on a scale usually reserved for Generals and Presidents, making it seem absurdly important. Think about how the scale shift you’re dealing with will change your viewers’ perception of the object you’ve chosen.

Look at these links for inspiration:
Puppy by Jeff Koons.
In Bed, a large lady by Ron Mueck.
Mushroom sculptures by Cosima von Bonin.
The Crawler space shuttle sculpture by Tom Sachs
Chris Gilmour's cardboard sculptures.
Cardboard scultprues by Lincoln Schatz.
Cardboard sculptures by Tobias Putrih.

First Project: Object Transformation (Due 09/05/08)

Object Transformation
You will change a toy or object of your choice into something completely different. You will give it a new life as something else.
You must reuse ALL of the material in your existing object, and re-make it as a sculpture or a functional object.
We will take before and after pictures.

What you are responsible for bringing in to class
August 29 a toy or some thing you feel comfortable changing
Any other supplies you would like to use while altering your object
September 5 Finished project due.

The definition of transformation:
1. a complete change, usually into something with an “improved” appearance or usefulness
2. the act or process of transforming somebody or something
3. the conversion of a normal cell into a malignant cell brought about by the action of a carcinogen or virus
4. the change of one type of atom to another, resulting from a nuclear reaction
5. in transformational grammar, the process of converting one linguistic construction or structure to another following the rules that convert deep structure to surface structure
6. a sudden changing of a stage set that takes place in sight of the audience
7. a permanent change in genetic makeup of a cell when it acquires foreign DNA

While you are working on your new creation, ask yourself a series of questions about it.
* What is the function of your new creature/creation?
* Is it alive? If so, where does it live? If not, what is it?
* What does it do? Does it have a function?
* What is the process it went through to make this change? Has it evolved? Was it by the hand of a creator? Is it an invention?
* Are you just experimenting with new materials in an intuitive way?

This project is due on September 5. We will have a full class critique, so be prepared to talk about what you did and what it has become.