Fabian - The Other - The Toxic Growth

Final result "The Toxic Growth" 3-26-23

Whare I got the sound from

artist statement

The Toxic Growth 

There is no one particular meaning behind this piece, but rather a meaning derived by the viewers. Many views, many stories, many meanings. This piece was created with the thought of making an uncomfortable location and scene that the viewer may walk around and crouch under. It was also meant to capture the eye and continuously move the eye without rest through the piece. There is no resting place for the eye but the teal light that hangs on the back wall. The teal light interacts with the paint to make it seem as if it was glowing, therefore giving it a toxic thought and feeling. This light can be manipulated into other hues to change the aesthetic. Additionally to the discomfort, is the sound that has been chosen to interact with my piece. It is ominous and gives life to the piece as if it were still growing and breaking the space around it and spreading. This sound can also be heard as if the forms are communicating with one another and becoming a new form of life from this toxicity.

progress work 3-25-23

painted forms, arranged forms, covered the roof, and painted roof/walls and added sound.

progress work 3-24-23

covered forms in paper mache to smoothen rough areas and cover holes.

progress work 3-20-23

painted forms black, no paper-mache

progress work 3-19-23

building the form out of cardboard

progress work 3-16-23

Setting up the walls/space with black plastic

Update #2 (2/28/23)

Through some thought and the help of a fellow peer, I have thought more about what I want to do. and how to possibly do it. I want my piece to feel mesmerizing, curious, and uncomfortable. I am going with the height of 6ft tall. this will help with time available, and managing my piece. But also I want the option for someone to crawl under. and look up. I am planning in making a steel rod armature. like pencil rods. I would then use chicken wire to catch to the steel rod to create depth and volume. This will also allow for various thicknesses, and add visual weight. 

To connect the steel rod I was thinking about welding nuts and bolts to connect and disconnect my piece and make it easier to work on and move. (example in the sketch above). this does also open the possibility for modifications in the future or changing what can be placed out. Like interchangeable parts. I am still trying to determine what I want to use to cover the chicken white as I have many possibilities, but each option also has different effects. I was thinking about covering the chicken wire with various amounts of paper or paper mache (internal lighting may be a possibility). Another option is using opaque paper to see through (mainly for lighting reasons and possibly using the shadows of the chicken wire). I am also planning on painting the paper/material I cover the armature with, I was thinking along the lines of that toxic green relating back to my small world. I'm not using glow in the dark, or at least I don't plan to. I am open to other color options. In terms of the space it will be in, I want to black it out. I will create a roof to cover the outside lights and create some kind of entryway to minimize incoming light. I will also cover the walls with black paper so I don't have to paint and easier clean up. Leading me to lighting. I have many options as well as what I can do, and each will have different effects. Things that I was thinking about was having the light be inside the forms wrapped around the steel rod. This will also be affected by what material I use to cover the wire. I was also thinking of having the lights be on the outside of the form on the walls and have it glow on the forms. this will affect the paint choice. and feel of the forms. Another option was to have a light at the base and inside the form that shines brightest at the bottom and dims as it moves along the form, but it may not work as I may want it to. Additionally would be that I would use RGB lights to be able to change the color if I want to and have different effects. Nonetheless that last thing I want to add would be to add some kind of sensory aspect, like sound. I will have to randomly look for and listen to on Spotify or youtube for sounds I find fitting. another option for sensory would be to change the temp of the space, like a portable AC to make the space feel cold, uncomfortable, and possibly unwelcoming, and chaotic. 

 An idea that I would like to do for the installation is similar to that of my small world. 

So idea first? What are you after? Do you want us to feel uncomfortable? Should we want to stay in the space and linger awhile? Will your date dictate what you make the piece out of simply due to time? This below piece was made by a former student. How do you push past this to create a new piece?

Think about the forms, the shapes, the shadows, the what and why - then the how comes regarding how and what you will build it out of.

I want to make it possible so that you may be able to go underneath and look up. I may or may not have it be possible for people to walk around (given the available space) Though, I am leaning towards people not walking around and staying at the entrance and be able to go underneath. With that said the size that I'm looking to make this installation is 8 ft. tall, 10 ft. long, 6 ft. wide. I'm not sure what I should have the color of the forms be when I get to that point. I'm open to suggestions. Another thing would be the surrounding area. During the day time there is a lot of light, and I'm not sure if I should keep it that way and make my piece work with the light or find a way to darken/dim the room. I do want to add colored light with this form but I don't know where I would place the light. or even if I should.

possible building materials that I could think of is steel rods for the skeleton, then chicken fencing for the form and paper over the chicken fencing and zip ties. lots and lots of zip ties. A question that I have is. how would I make this so that I can take it apart and put together? what other materials do you think would work?