Bri -Materialistic

 3/29/26 - Finalized Ideas

I agree that I have been too wishy-washy on my ideas for this project (this is something I want to work on next year), so I wish to make the crane idea for the sake of time, transport, and space.

The birds: I like the idea of having the smaller cranes possibly trail from one wall to the next, but I am worried about the height of the moving walls not allowing enough space for the cranes if tall people walk through them. It could be that the birds converge and get smaller as the viewer leaves the tunnel, so the birds are trailing migrating off into the distance as the viewer leaves the installation. Also, what if my birds are like a zoetrope that follows the movements of a sandhill crane as it walks and takes flight? As the viewer walks through the tunnel, they follow along with the movements of the birds as they take off. These designs would also be mirrored on both walls, possibly with slightly different poses, but mostly the same on both sides. 

Tunnel: I would like to paint the general gradient of a sunrise within the confines of my tunnel, with blues fading to yellow and orange, but I am unsure if the walls could become too busy with both the paint and birds. This effect could be accomplished with dyed fabric rather than paint for easier deinstallation. Or I could scrap having different colors to keep it simple and just play with what my lighting could do. I think I will make some color sketches to decide on if a sunrise is needed or if lighting can do the heavy lifting. 

The Gravel: I agree that having physical gravel could become a hazard. I'm curious if I could somehow glue rocks to chipboard or tarp to make modular pieces that aren't messy to clean up. They would just follow the edges of the walls and leave a path in the center, similar to the installation we visited in the museum. If this isn't possible or too time-consuming, I could just rely on sound. 

Sound: I'd like to include sounds of footsteps on gravel that are faint in the background to give the illusion that the viewer is walking on gravel or walking alongside my brother and I. I also agree that the sandhill cranes need to be somewhat faint and almost distant. 

3/5/26 - Refined Ideas

Over the course of the week, I have realized that I am not super happy with or excited about my original idea for this project. It just seems like a lot of hassle and will be a pain to make, store, and ship. The new idea I have in mind seems more enjoyable to make and would be more doable in our timeline. For this idea, I am thinking of trying to capture the sense of what it was like growing up at home in the Wyoming countryside, specifically, the peaceful fall mornings when my brother and I would walk down the end of our long dirt road together to meet the bus. One of the most prominent components I remember is the coos of the sandhill cranes that would fly overhead and rest in our grandfather's field nearby. 

To replicate this moment, I want to laser-cut a flock of Wyoming birds I see at home (probably all sandhill cranes after thinking about it more while writing this). I'd like to have 3 or 4 variations of birds, all in different poses, with some just taking off and others flying that will trail down the wall and eventually become smaller as if flying off into the distance. I'm curious as to how thick a material the laser cutter can go through, because I think this project would be best with some stiffer material than the chipboard. These pieces will all be separate so they can be hung up and taken down easily, but will also store flat and be light. I'm considering adding some paint to the etchings as well to add some extra detail to the birds.

The walls for this project will be positioned in a way that makes a tunnel between the stationary wall and the moving walls. possibly with a light blue colored sheet or fabric over the top that gently filters light through it. If possible, I want to paint the walls in a gradient that mimics the sunrise, probably being more of an abstract representation rather than true to life, so the room feels immersive, as if the viewer is taking an early morning walk. I'm also wondering if I could lay some small gravel on a clear tarp on the ground in the tunnel to portray the sense of walking down our dirt driveway. 

The final component that will bring the whole thing together is having 4 speakers play the coos of sandhill cranes (and possibly other birds), hidden behind my cutouts.

The sketch below is not blobby penguins, but an abstraction of the above sketch to show the layout of the walls to make the tunnel for the viewers to walk through.

New Materials List: 

• chipboard or a thin wood
• paint (yellow, orange, blue)
• blue or white sheets
• fine gravel
• clear tarp

However, I understand that it isn't fair to others to change my idea now, so I have a few new iterations of my original concept that make it more immersive. The first is making more cones that can hang from the ceiling and the wall to cover the corner of the gallery by the window in a wave of cones seen below). I would try to make 30 - 40 of these forms to fill the space, but it is possible that I may need even more than that, which makes this idea harder to accomplish in the time we have. 

The second new iteration I have is to make a hallway/tunnel with the moving walls and stationary walls that are covered in the cone forms, so the viewer is surrounded when they enter (below). I would like to make a ceiling out of fabric from sheets or something else that is long and wide to filter light from the spotlights into the tunnel so there is a soft ambient light. To help with time constraints, I have considered having the cones nearest to the window slowly fade into illustrations on the wall or flat cutouts made from chipboard or cardboard to still fill the space but reduce the amount of work needed. 

I would like to engineer the cones to be able to slide over the metal rods so they can be packaged separately. I'm also curious if the rods should be short and not visible or if they should look like plant stems. I'm worried that if they are too short, it would be a little too similar to your show in Fort Collins, but the shorter rods would be less time-consuming.

Brianna,

I appreciate your honesty here. Realizing that an idea is not sustainable or engaging for you is an important part of the process. The concerns you’re raising — making, storing, shipping — are valid, and they are exactly the kinds of things working artists have to consider.

That said, we are at a point where you need to commit to one direction and follow it through.

Your new idea has a lot of strength. It is:

• Personal and specific

• Spatial (the tunnel is a good instinct)

• Atmosphere-driven

• Much more feasible in terms of fabrication and storage

The memory of walking to the bus and the sound of sandhill cranes is clear and grounded. That specificity is what makes it compelling. Stay with that.

A few things to refine if you move forward with this direction:

First, the birds. The trailing flock that shifts in scale is strong. Be careful that it doesn’t become decorative. Think about how they activate the space:

• Do they move across both walls?

• Do they cross the viewer’s path?

• Do they feel like they are moving through you, not just along a surface?

Second, the tunnel. This is where the installation really happens. The walls and ceiling need to:

• Compress the space

• Guide movement

• Control light

The fabric ceiling filtering light is a good move. Keep it simple and intentional.

Third, the gravel. This is effective conceptually, but think carefully about logistics:

• Safety (slipping, shifting)

• Cleanup

• Sound (which may actually be a benefit)

If it becomes too complicated, you may need to suggest the ground rather than literally recreate it.

Fourth, sound. The cranes are the emotional anchor. Keep it subtle and spatial. You don’t need it to be loud — just present enough to locate the viewer in that memory.

Now, regarding your original cone idea:

You are right — 30–40 cones is likely not enough to fully activate the space, and making more is not realistic in the time we have. The tunnel version improves it, but it still requires a significant amount of fabrication and may not resolve as strongly as your new idea.

Also, your instinct to make the cones modular is good — but again, that’s adding engineering time on top of fabrication time.

At this point, I would rather see you execute one idea well than struggle to complete a more complex one.

So my recommendation is:

Choose the crane/tunnel installation and commit to it fully.

It aligns better with your timeline, your interests, and the level of resolution I want to see from you.

2/17/26 - Materialistic Ideas 

Joris Kuipers: Paper and wood-based installation

Website

 Joris Kuipers' style combines painting and sculpture through the utilization of hand-painted laser-cut shapes that are combined to make larger organic forms suspended in the air.  His colorful compositions bring the beauty of nature indoors, offering a sense of calm, wonder, and connection. Joris celebrates nature’s organic forms through dynamic and lively installations that energize interiors.

For my own installation, I have been interested in utilizing paper or wood components that are suspended in the air or held on the end of steel rods. I like Kuipers' use of color and plant-like imagery to transform a space and liven up a neutral colored space. 

Jardins Suspendus, Aluminum Alloy, Acrylic Paint, 2026

Floral Abstraction III, Acrylic paint and gold leaf on wood, 2019

Jardin Supendus I, Acrylic paint on wood, 2012

 

My Ideas:

I have been struggling to get any ideas down that I liked because most were either too complex for the time we had or too simple, so I didn't feel they reflected my work ethic or pushed my skills. I finally found one today that uses some of the forms of my wood and paper piece but are made with materials that are quicker for me to use while also filling the space. I plan on making multiple conical shapes that are held up by steel rods, either welded to plates, with three branching feet or welded to other cones to make interconnected bundles. They will stand at around 1 - 1.5 feet tall when complete. The cones themselves will be around 4 inches tall with a 2 - 2.5-inch opening made from chicken wire and plaster gauze, cast paper, or rolled/forged steel sheets. I would like the cones to stay a white color to match the walls (possibly with some dry brushing of other tones of grey) while having pops of color within the inside of the cones with purple colored fluff of various shades. I'm unsure if I should use fluffy faux fur or wool roving for the texture on the inside. 

With this installation, I would like to portray the feelings of unity and interconnection, with each form being different yet visually connected to the others. I also want this area to provide a sense of peace, like standing in a field of flowers. To push this, I wonder if having some sort of sound playing would help, like the rustling of plants or a gentle breeze. 

Examples of the cone forms standing up and with texture on the inside.

This image is the sketch for how I would like my pieces to be displayed, with some being attached to the walls and floor. I'm curious as to how this installation could look if I hung some of the cones from the ceiling (It might be too much going on.)

Materials List:

• Steel rod (30 - 40ft)
• steel sheets?
• chicken wire
• plaster gauze or paper
• faux fur or various bundles of purple roving

Bri,

You are thinking carefully about material, and that shows. I appreciate that you’re considering scale, repetition, structure, and fabrication time realistically. That’s mature decision-making.

However, right now this still reads as a series of sculptural objects placed in a space rather than an installation that transforms the space.

The cones themselves are interesting forms. The contrast between a restrained white exterior and a saturated interior has potential. The idea of unity and interconnection is strong — but that concept needs to show up spatially, not just symbolically.

A few things to consider:

1. Scale + Quantity
If the cones are only 4 inches tall and mounted on 1–1.5 ft rods, they risk feeling like a field of small sculptures rather than an immersive environment. Installation depends on density and repetition. How many are you realistically making? Ten will not change a room. Twenty might begin to. Think about volume and how it alters space.

2. Spatial Activation
Right now, they appear to stand upright like specimens. What happens if:

• Some lean?

• Some cluster tightly?

• Some emerge from the wall?

• Some interrupt the viewer’s path?

• Some hang at eye level?

Ask yourself: what does the room feel like when someone walks in? Are they navigating? Surrounded? Immersed? Installation is not just repetition of forms — it is how those forms reorganize space.

3. Steel Rods + Structure
Be careful that the rods don’t visually dominate unless that’s intentional. Are they purely structural, or are they conceptually part of the interconnection? If unity is key, perhaps the rods physically connect forms rather than simply holding them upright.

4. Interior Material (Fur vs. Roving)
Faux fur could quickly read decorative or artificial. Wool roving may feel more organic and restrained. Given your reference to a field of flowers and calmness, subtlety may be stronger than spectacle.

5. Think Beyond the Making
I also want you thinking about the life of this piece beyond critique.

• Where does this live after deinstallation?

• Does it break down?

• Are the rods detachable?

• Do the cones slip on and off?

• Can bases stack?

• How does it transport?

• If shown again in five years, will it hold up?

If everything is welded permanently, this becomes bulky and difficult to store or ship. Installation artists think about disassembly and modular systems. If unity and interconnection are your themes, perhaps the system itself reflects that — components that connect and disconnect, adapt, and reconfigure in new spaces.

Right now you’re designing forms. I want you designing a system — spatially and structurally.

Let’s talk through density and a modular strategy in person so this moves beyond a collection of objects and into a resolved installation.