Blooming Garbage
Medium: Garbage/Junk and Photography Size: 36 cm x 46 cm Date: April 2016 My intention for this piece was to create a sculpture out of everyday junk and emphasize the effects of recycling recyclable items rather them throwing them in landfills. Inspired by Tim Noble and Sue Webster, I was able to create my sculpture using trash I found around my house. I used light as a part of my presentation in order to better imitate Noble and Webster as well as to portray a deeper meaning in a similar way. |
Artistic Inspiration
My inspiration for my mixed media piece were Tim Noble and Sue Webster. They are two British artists who work as a collaborative duo and are associated with the post-YBA generation of artists. Tim and Sue take ordinary things including trash to create assemblages which show to likeness to something identifiable through the use of lighting and shadow casting. This brings about meaning to objects many would consider to be insignificant using a form of perceptual psychology.
I chose to utilize these two artists as my inspiration because I enjoyed their way of bringing light into their piece in order to turn what may seem to many as a pile of junk, into an astonishing work of art with shadows. I felt that this form of bringing about meaning from something that may seem insignificant was an excellent way to present my sculpture to better portray my message of the significant impact of recycling.
Research: "Tim Noble & Sue Webster – CV and Biography." Tim Noble & Sue Webster – CV and Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2016.
<http://www.timnobleandsuewebster.com/biography.html>.
Photograph Citation: Tim Noble and Sue Webster. Digital image. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Noble_and_Sue_Webster.>N.p., n.d.
My inspiration for my mixed media piece were Tim Noble and Sue Webster. They are two British artists who work as a collaborative duo and are associated with the post-YBA generation of artists. Tim and Sue take ordinary things including trash to create assemblages which show to likeness to something identifiable through the use of lighting and shadow casting. This brings about meaning to objects many would consider to be insignificant using a form of perceptual psychology.
I chose to utilize these two artists as my inspiration because I enjoyed their way of bringing light into their piece in order to turn what may seem to many as a pile of junk, into an astonishing work of art with shadows. I felt that this form of bringing about meaning from something that may seem insignificant was an excellent way to present my sculpture to better portray my message of the significant impact of recycling.
Research: "Tim Noble & Sue Webster – CV and Biography." Tim Noble & Sue Webster – CV and Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2016.
<http://www.timnobleandsuewebster.com/biography.html>.
Photograph Citation: Tim Noble and Sue Webster. Digital image. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Noble_and_Sue_Webster.>N.p., n.d.
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Planning
I began planning my Mixed Media Project by sketching various scenarios of possible ideas. This allowed me to come up with ideas utilizing various objects and mediums allowing me to understand what materials were at my disposal. Without having access to certain materials, I was able to narrow down my options to specific project ideas that I was able to create based on accessibility. Next, I began to research artists that utilized materials I had access to. While searching artists and their works, I came across two artists that utilized junk in order to create sculptures while creating messages to find meaning in everyday objects that just seemed meaningless. I wanted to imitate this message and therefore chose Tim Noble and Sue Webster as my artistic inspirations. This made me set my mind on using trash I found around my house as part of my project and settle down on one project idea. |
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Process
After having an idea chosen, I began collecting the materials needed at home. I collected soda cans and bottles and used objects I found in my trash. Then I began by cutting out the center of each soda can in order to produce a rectangular piece of the aluminum cans. I then cut out another rectangular piece as I required two cans for each flower. I then flattened out the aluminum by rubbing it against the edge of the table however it kept rolling back up. Therefore after rubbing it for a bit, I would set a book on top. Once my aluminum had been flattened out, I used a cup and a container lid in order to trace two small circles onto one sheet of aluminum, and then two slightly larger circles onto the other. This was in order to divide my flowers in layers of pedals from the center outwards. I then cut out my circles and on the smaller circles, identified the center and then divided them into roughly five equal pieces. I cut each section I marked off almost to the middle without completely reaching it. Then I smoothed out the corners of each section I cut in order to make them seem more pedal like. Next I took the bigger circles and identified the center on each, but rather than dividing them into five equal pieces, I divided them into six. The process however remained the same. Once I had all of my circles done, I took one of my smaller circles and rolled one pedal using a brush to create the center of what would be my flower. I then took the next pedal and tightly wrapped it around the center and continued doing the same with the rest. When I had finished wrapping all four pedals around the center, I used a hot glue gun to place my newly completed center of my rose on the center of my other small circle. I then continued the same process, wrapping each pedal around the center, but this time less tightly and repeated the process onto my larger circles until a flower was created by the four layers, each one wrapped less tightly around the center. Once my flowers were completed, I glued them onto a brown bottle I used as a base. I then took trash I found around my house and placed it in a cardboard box to symbolize a landfill. I then took my bottle and placed it in the pile. Slowly I began to photograph it at various angles with different forms of lighting until by using a flashlight, I was able to achieve the shadow I wanted while drawing attention to the bottle and two aluminum flowers. |
Reflection
Overall, I believe I was successful in achieving my goal of creating a sculpture that portrayed the message of although people find recycling meaningless, it can have huge impacts. I would have preferred to have been able to work on a much larger scale using sheet metal rather than tin cans for what I feel would have allowed for a much stronger effect. Perhaps the most challenging part about my project was cutting the cans and flattening out the metal. It was at times very difficult to manipulate but I was able to flatten out the material and work with it.
Overall, I believe I was successful in achieving my goal of creating a sculpture that portrayed the message of although people find recycling meaningless, it can have huge impacts. I would have preferred to have been able to work on a much larger scale using sheet metal rather than tin cans for what I feel would have allowed for a much stronger effect. Perhaps the most challenging part about my project was cutting the cans and flattening out the metal. It was at times very difficult to manipulate but I was able to flatten out the material and work with it.