Delaney - Site Specific

4/27/26

    This week, I fell a bit behind because I missed some classes, but I worked hard to catch up. So far, I've been working on my maquette as well as refining my research on this site and my materials.

    I started by building up some slight dips in the structure of the base by adding cardboard in spots. Then, I painted it grass-colors. Once my paint dried, I started adding flocking. I also got some soil from one of my plants that died and incorporated that. I wanted to look for a lighter dirt-color outside, but it started raining once I was ready to do this, so I'll add that later. I began adding some trees and realized that the smaller ones without flocking looked kind of like the tall grass (shown in my images of the park), so I decided to use some of it on the right hand side of the path. I got kind of irritated when I was gluing down my trees, so I decided to call it there and add a few more trees later. Obviously I have a few things I want to refine on my maquette, but I'm going to spend this week focusing on sculpting the actual installation for my maquette first and foremost and refining after that so I don't put my time into the wrong places.

    Currently, I am also working on drawing on top of my photographs for my concept art. I'm not terribly experienced with this, but I think I have it figured out and I'm excited to share my pictures when I'm finished. I will probably save this part to work on mostly outside of class since its digital and easier to bring with me compared to other aspects of this project.

    I have a really busy week ahead of me, so I'm a little nervous about what that means for this project, but I think I'll pull through and hopefully put together something I'm proud of. I'm definitely stressed, but I've gotten to a place I'm comfortable with for wrapping things up this week.

4/14/26

    I've decided I want to do with my first idea. The artist I am taking inspiration from is Ana Mendieta and her installation works that feature the outline of female bodies in different sites.

My idea, as I mentioned a bit when I made my previous post, is to depict the body of a woman in this clearing in the trees, made from materials that will be consumed by birds over the course of it being there.

    I need to continue to refine my concept a bit. I will be working on more initial sketches and researching the local bird population in this area to select appropriate materials. A title I'm already thinking about for this installation is "how to be human" or "how to be a person." It's largely about the cycle of life and death, our place in it throughout time as humans, and how that has changed. It is about how many of us take and take from the world we live in, and many of us do not even give back to it in death due to methods to preserve bodies and prevent nature from ever touching it (not that this is always the case, or even the focus of the work). I think it is entirely possible to live a full life without ever participating properly in the "give" and "take" of the world. I don't think that is what it means, to be a person. The woman in this piece gives herself in her entirety to the world around her, allows herself to be consumed by it. I have also considered a double-meaning consistent with my usual work where this is talking about the objectification of women as something to be consumed and taken from. This is unfortunately seen in many relationships as a woman, whether that be a romantic relationship where things are taken from you, or even a parental relationship, where I think motherhood is all about giving. I need to gather my thoughts a bit more neatly, but I find that this imagery depicts a lot of thoughts I've had pretty well.

4/13/26

    This week has been pretty busy, so I didn't do as much idea generation as I hoped, but I have given thought to what concepts I'm most interested in creating for this assignment, and I've narrowed it down and refined my ideas a little bit.

    Currently, I am considering two of my ideas: the piece made out of materials birds would eat that I thought of for site #1, or the tiny little town under the bridge for site #2.

    My idea for site #1, because of the sign saying the park is a bird sanctuary, was to create an installation that would attract birds and eventually be (safely) consumed by them over the course of its time there. This would be an interesting installation because of how it changes overtime, and how it would attract local birds to be viewed. Mostly, what I'm interested in with this piece is talking about consumption. I think it would be fitting for the installation to feature a human body, which would provide a bit of shock-factor for the viewer as a fellow-human being to observe it being consumed. I think that depending on how I decide to depict this, it could come off as either a piece about nature and the cycle of life in death, as well as, perhaps, the place of humans in this world. I could also make this piece easily about being a woman and an inherent loss of self that many girls feel when they're viewed as something to be consumed (metaphorically?). Obviously, I need to hone in on one idea and refine this a bit more, but I do think it might be interesting

    As for my idea for site #2, its a lot less heavy. My idea is simply to build a tiny town under a bridge with the rising-creek in mind with the architectural design. I don't have a deep meaning for this idea- it is just meant to be cute and whimsical in the only park in that town where kids can go. I think it might be a nice change to create something lighthearted and fun. I also want to hold onto this idea just in case my first idea comes off as too graphic (although I intend it to be tastefully done) for an outdoor installation. I just wanted to have a plan B on the opposite side of the spectrum.

 4/6/26

    I spent a lot of this week trying to find interesting locations for my site specific installation so I could begin my idea-generation process. I traveled a bit, so hopefully I was able to find some good places.

Site #1

    Over Easter weekend, I visited my grandma in Encampment, WY. She lives directly across from the Grand Encampment Museum (a really cool museum), which doubles as a park sort of.

    While walking my dog here, I found this neat opening in the trees which I thought may be a neat location to imagine a site-specific installation- it feels very inviting and whimsical. I also noticed the sign that says "this park is a bird sanctuary" which made me think about a temporary installation, perhaps made of materials that the birds would eventually eat. I would have to look more into what materials would be safe and effective for this, but the idea of an installation  piece slowly being devoured by the birds over the course of it's time here is really neat to me. It could have meaning rooted in ephemerality and the cycle of living, but it could also provide a neat opportunity to see all kinds of birds in the area.

Site #2

    This was in the same park as the previous image. I saw this cute bridge and thought it might be interesting, especially underneath the bridge, as there is a small stream that sometimes passes through there when there's more moisture. I still have some idea generation to think of, but I thought a little teeny-tiny town under the bridge could be interesting and whimsical, especially since I noticed many children around this area of the park closer to the playground. I think it could be cool to create a narrative that little people are living under the bridge. I could also take the water aspect into consideration and build tiny buildings on stilts as if the town anticipates water rising here. I'm not necessarily set on this idea, but I think it would be cute and fun and different from the kind of art I usually make. It might be nice to make something more lighthearted.

Site #3

(I guess my dog got into this picture. She was so excited.)

    This was also part of the Grand Encampment Museum. My grandma's house has a really clear view of this directly across from it, so I spent a lot of time looking at it. I think this would be a really fun structure to create an installation around, but it is also very old, so I would have to look into whether an installation could potentially harm it or something. This would definitely be another temporary installation like all the other ideas I've had, as it is an important part of the museum.

Site #4

    This area is in my hometown. It is called Douglas Mountain Trails, Sledding, and Bike Skills Park. This trail system is my dad's baby- he is the president of a nonprofit club called Outdoor Enthusiasts of Converse County (OECC) and he has spent the past several years going through the steps of raising money, applying for grants, getting approval, and beginning construction on this trail. Last year, he finally got to see it built and we're all very proud of him creating something that benefits our community. It is a very beautiful area, and I think an installation could be very interesting here. I want to spend more time thinking about this though, and what exactly would be cohesive with the trail and pay proper appreciation to my hometown and what it's known for.

My dad (left), very happy to begin construction of his trail.