Angela - Small World

3/26/23 UPDATE

So - Piece has been finished, crit has happened. I'm relatively satisfied with the result even though it did have to diverge a bit from my original sketch due to lack of epoxy cooperation - same DNA and energy are there in the final piece, I think, and I'm always happy to do more pieces involving felting and fiber. Some photos and a video:

2/10/23 UPDATE

    Hello again all! Haven't updated in a while, I'll be better at this moving forward. I've been a bit frustrated with myself and unmotivated over this piece and in general, and haven't really made a ton of progress - I've gotten my container, a clear acrylic pedestal, cleaned up. I've done a test as to potential construction of the central form in plaster gauze molded over clay, which did work quite well and will likely be my method of making for the final piece. My epoxy pigment tests are telling me that I may have to order some kind of pigment specifically made for coloring epoxy, as the other pigments I've tried sort of just sit in the epoxy and don't really blend into the color they're meant to. This is alright, just means I'm going to have to find or craft a pigment that matches the color of the stage blood that will be sitting under the spike form.

    As of now, it seems this project is going on hold so that I can turn attention towards my That gallery installation, which is in the next round of installations. I'll get a few photos of my sample tests and container up soon, and resume updating this when I make progress next. Thanks!

1/25/2023

    Hello all! The object of choice for my small world installation is going to be some sort of transparent vessel - likely an aquarium with the plastic stripped, or a clear acrylic pedestal on one of its sides. I'm aiming for an object that is inobtrusive, as the form of the installation is minimal and I think an object with lots of character would become distracting. We're still TBD on obtaining the pedestal, so I'll get some photos of that included in here later on.

    My miniature installation will build on my fixation with blood and the color red within my work, and take that to the extreme by simulating a vast environment in which the viewer is surrounded on all sides and underneath by a seemingly endless pool of dark, syrupy blood. My art has often reflected the macabre and grotesque, and I am in a place of sorting out why that imagery is attractive to me.

    This hypothetical space is rectangular in floor plan - hence, the aquarium or pedestal. The viewer enters through doors located on either side of the room, and walks through the space on a clear acrylic bridge sitting a foot or two above the blood pool. The blood bubbles, in my mind. This could be simulated in my mini version with airline tubing. In the center of the space, a massive, monolithic red spike rises from the blood pool, and comes to a sharp point several stories into the ceiling. The spike would be glistening and scarlet, just like the blood - likely fabricated by an industrial size team from acrylic or some kind of vinyl. I want this monolith to appear as though it rises in a very fluid way from the blood. My concept sketch is as follows (sorry for the low quality, next sketch will be scanned):

    The work of Olafur Eliasson accomplishes the sort of scale and vastness that I would be hoping to achieve - Eliasson also fills space in a similar way, building large environments in a gallery that people walk through on bridges and pathways that become a part of the piece. We looked at his sun installation in class, but I find his simulated indoor ponds and streams more compelling.

Life, 2021

Riverbed, 2014

    It's a strange reference to be making for an installation, but I think I also find the spatial feeling I am trying to evoke in director Denis Villeneuve's depiction of sci-fi structures, ships, and architecture in films like Dune, Arrival, & Blade Runner 2049. There is a brutalist energy to the way that he animates. The forms are incredibly simple and sleek, but inhabit space in a way that feels volumetrically massive and menacing.

Still from Dune (2021)

Still from Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Still from Arrival (2016)

Still from Dune (2021)

    So! This is where my head is at on this piece currently. Updates and later sketches will come as I sort out exactly what vessel I'm using and if I will need to adapt my plan to fit its needs.

Idea #2?

I would not suggest you try materials like resin that you are not familiar with due to time. regardless what you choose, tests should be done immediately so conjecture is removed. Think about options regarding materials you have worked with successfully and let that drive your idea. We do not have resin at uw right now. 

    I absolutely understand the time constraint, and you were correct, it's already causing us issues! But, that is alright, and I'm confident it's still the best material for the job in terms of rendering a surface fluid and shiny like the liquid blood. We'll make it happen. I don't have a second sketch at the moment and it's a bit late in the process to be making one - I'm firm in my current vision and if I can see it through I think this piece will be quite successful. In the future I'll provide 2+ sketches for my projects.