Melodic musings

So as this project takes shape, the more it has evolved, the more the reactionary component of this project has become important to me.  The more alive this project is becoming.  Literally.  The tunnel component has now served as a platform for this new organism.  The aspect of the tunnel will still be there, how dense the walls are something I am still working on.

The main structure will be more flowing, something that I was thinking about anyway, the question now is how am I going to make it "alive" without making it "carnival"?  Using Arduino circuit boards and centrifugal motors, activated by proximity sensors, I can definitely make this come alive.  The technology component is something that I had wanted to get into for awhile now, and this was a perfect opportunity to get way out of my comfort zone and push myself to really learn something new.  If this is successful then it will inform work for my thesis next year as I already have few more ideas for more interactive projects similar to this.  But why make the thing move/shake at all?  When glass strikes glass, there can be some wonderful sounds.  There is also the whole flight or fight response from an animal when threatened.  Here are some vessels from Friday that I strung up today.  I know the video quality is poor but it wouldn't upload otherwise, damn file was too big, and the sound is the more important here.

This sound isn't exactly what I'm looking for, but it's a start.  I did also make some solid glass rods as well, and I was hoping to have a sharper noise from the shape, but those will have to be redesigned. 

The structure, so far, is lending itself to marine crustaceans... deep sea organisms that are transparent from lack of sunlight.  With how the monofilament looks with the light on it, with some polished steel and aluminum mesh it is pupating into this very organic specimen constructed out of clean materials.  The glass vessels feel like eggs, in the way crabs or spiders will carry their eggs until they hatch.

Now it's just ordering some more monofilament, a bucket ton of #2 & #3 crimping tubes and about a thousand or so 5/32" eyelets. 

Semester 1, now with more people!

Having a model handy, thanks to my Mom, and no one around in the studio... sorry guys, your all awesome but I'm glad you weren't around for this, I got a few photos of the Semester 1 project occupied.  I think you'll agree it looks, and feels, entirely different.  These are also the best photos of the bunch, I have more and can post some additional pictures if there is enough interest.

Take 2

     For this semesters project, 6 questions were asked in the proposal and this is how I answered those questions.  Now, not everything is here as I had finished this with time to spare and time to think about where this new project is going.  Any additional thoughts will be in red to mark them as after this initial draft.

     The questions (or statements) to be answered, to give the answers some context, are as follows...

1) Describe the project you will work on this semester.
2) What will you deliver?(final form)
3) List the resources, labs, and any specific instructions you might need.
4) Include a budget.
5) Include a timetable.
6) Describe success or successful completion of the project.  Describe how your artwork, process, and artist process should be evaluated.

1) During the creation of last semesters project, I started to think of glass as a compositional element, not necessarily the end all solution.  One of the resources I've started to look at has been the blog How Is This Glass, which encapsulates some of the ideas I've been recently thinking about, before I had even found this blog, and can found at the following link...

http://howisthisglass.blogspot.com/

     This blog highlights artists that are using glass, or more importantly it's properties such as light, restraint, and as a skin or membrane.  Some of these qualities manifested themselves in the last project and exploiting these qualities is something that I want to continue to explore through the rest of the program.  Combining glass, blown or flat, with other materials is an exciting prospect being utilized by modern glass artists today.

The Log, collaborative effort with several designers and architectural firms

Wine Glass by Dulique on Flickr

Kiko Gianocca, Swan 2009, 18k gold and blown glass

The previous artists/collaborators are using the qualities that glass inherently has, optics... which directly effects the light passing through it, form, strength, and container.  Last semesters project was a lot of reduction of ideas, a distillation, to find a more cohesive piece.  Like the artists above I would like to keep exploring the qualities of glass, either in glass or glass-like materials such as plastic, as a vocabulary to inform future work.

   
     Next semesters project is a mixed media construction.  It will be a corridor approximately 3-3.5 ft wide by 8 ft tall by 6-9 ft in length.  The dimensions are not finalized yet, but will be by the start of next semester.  The main component will be monofilament line.  Lots of monofilament line.  The walls and interior ceiling of the corridor will be made out of different thicknesses of monofilament line, to make the structure appear hair-like or something like spider silk.  I think monofilament will give a glass like feel and surface while keeping it safe for people to walk through.  Small glass vessels will be hung throughout the walls and ceiling of this corridor, some filled with small keepsakes, some filled with fluid or perhaps resin, some empty, and some sandblasted (or maybe all sandblasted, maybe all will be empty).  I am also looking to make this tunnel shake when someone walks through it.  Sensors would be placed inside the tunnel and when tripped would shake the tunnel gently.  If I used some solid sculpted glass "ribs" then they would make noise as they hit each other.

     This project is also an opportunity to work collaboratively with a another artist named Beth Haeseler.  She would be producing small flat glass panels to hang among the vessels in this project.  Beth and I have talked a bit about what she should do and we both agree that subtle imagery  would be preferred.  She and I had a chance to talk over break, she was in town visiting family but she lives in Portland, Maine, while we didn't nail anything down she seemed excited by the prospect of working together.  I will keep in contact with Beth and see if she can commit to a project like this, she is busy herself with her own classes to teach at a local university.  So time, and factoring another artist, are key points to this project.* At this time Beth is getting ready for her 3 classes plus work, I need to contact her over the weekend to see if she can still commit to this, and at the very least talk more about her part in this.*

2) The monofilament will be hung from canvas that is covering a welded steel frame. I am thinking the monofilament will be poked through the canvas and then melted, say with a lighter, to pressed and stuck to the canvas.  That frame will be hung from the ceiling. The interior ceiling height will be ~7 feet tall (this should be tall enough for someone of my height to walk through) while the exterior height will be ~8 feet.  I think that once this is lit well, the monofilament will have a glow to it from the light traveling in the plastic.  I think the project will test a lot of people's mettle as they start to walk through it and it starts to move.  That coupled with the sound from glass hitting other glass will provoke the fight or flight response.   The idea of making it seem not safe while keeping it as safe as possible is something I wanted to do with first project but I think it's better suited for this project. *This next part is why having people to talk to about your ideas can be very helpful.  Nate Gorgen, a fellow MFA, had suggested using mesh or screen instead.  It is a perfect solution.  With the canvas idea, the structural integrity of the canvas was a concern, having to put a hole in the canvas for the monofilament to go through wasn't the problem... the number of holes so close to each other was.  Problem solved with the screen... thank you Nate.*

3) This project will use the Sculpture, Glass, and MFA Studios in different aspects of the fabrication.  Sculpture for welding and cold working any glass, Glass for vessel fabrication and MFA for final construction as the final size is larger than what I have as studio space in the Sculpture lab at the moment.*I'm also using the MFA space for stretching the monofilament as straight as possible, basically unwinding the spools on to larger spools to make strands of straight monofilament that are at least 6 feet in length.*

4) Doing some initial searching on the internet I have found large spools of monofilament for about $13 @ 6000  yards/ spool.  There is a limit in place of how many I can order, I can order 4 spools, that would get me about 24,000 yards.  I would then need to supplement this thinner monofilament with some larger gauges, but I can find that here in town.  The steel for the frame is pretty much free, the canvas will be about $40(roughly, I haven't had to by canvas in a long time), I already have cable to hang the project, new fixtures will not be that expensive.  A book or two on basic electronics would help out as well, sensors could be cannibalized from security lights from Habitat for Humanity at a greatly reduced cost.  The motors are still being researched, maybe toys since I don't need a huge amount of power.  I'm thinking the total cost should be around $600(+,-).

Monofilament ___________$70, $12.95/spool @ 22,800 yards total, so far

Canvas________________$45

Gesso_________________$23

Steel__________________$0, the school's stock steel is fine

Total(so far)____________$138

This project should come in  WELL under what I had spent for the first semester project and I have still have $200 of seed money for any emergencies I haven't thought of.  I should have most of the monofilament before the semester begins, and hopefully the frame welded together as well, trying to get as much done as possible before the semester starts.

5) The timetable will be... laborious.  There will be a lot of the same for this project as there was for the last project.  A lot of work and trying to remain flexible as things pop up which they always do. This can be anything form suppliers dragging their feet to an emergency with one of my students.*As far as I can tell, most of the time for this will be in the monofilament prep, everything else is pretty straight forward.*

6) Success can be determined by being able to finish the project while being able to teach at the same time.  The last project was a great test of what I can do in a limited amount of time.  This project builds on that and then adds teaching to the end goal as well.  For my artwork, I am still trying to use glass as a compositional element rather than a vessel plunked down a pedestal.  For example, if glass were red paint then the last project would be very red, I want to try and use less red for this project.  The process builds upon what I already know, and I can't say at this time if it will really expand over the course of this project.  In terms of artistic progress, using glass as a compositional element was an idea that started last semester.  This is something that I want to continue to explore as the MFA program continues.  Slowing myself down and simplifying what I want the viewer to see was paramount for the last project, and I feel that this is something to keep and nurture as my career starts to take root.

Day and night

One of the best things about this project is how it changes with the surrounding light.  That being said, I like it much more at sunrise than any other time.

Semester 1 after thoughts

So the first semester is over.  It was a definite roller coaster of work, stress, friendships, being able to keep a handle on my family life, and learning... lots and lots of learning.  What kind of learning?  There were all types of things, but I've distilled it into 2 keys points...

 - Coordination of people and suppliers was paramount to the success of this 1st Semester project.

 - Conversations with my fellow grad students, faculty, and family was an invaluable resource.  Not only for their insights but also for the ability to keep me grounded enough to not flip out... well, not flip out badly.

The project completed for the due date, Waiting Room, has gotten several mixed reactions in terms of content, material, and concept.  To be honest, the technical aspects and material considerations of this project did overshadow portions of the concept.  As the material dialogue developed the concept got left behind.  This is something I will not be doing on the next project.  The development of all factors of the project are equally important, the larger the project, the less room for error, and this is compounded by a small window for completion.  Is this an excuse?  No.  But it is something for me to be on the watch for next project, to give time to all factors involved.  Which includes the concept.

Is the first project done?  No.  It was completed for the due date laid out by the client, the MFA program and ultimately the school.  I will thinking about what to do to Waiting Room to complete it in the coming weeks over break.  Following the guidelines I already laid out for this project... simplicity.  I am fortunate to be able to have time for this, I was told I could take until the end of 2nd Semester to take it down.

There is lots to get ready for and think about,  the program is already 1/4 over (going by semesters).  The next year and a half will FLY by, and all of this semester will seem like some fever dream.

Shock and awe... an exercise in Inspiration

There are several things that I find inspiring.  One of the most inspiring films I have ever seen has to be The Fountain.  I was lucky enough to see this with my wife in the theater when it came out, and to this day has to be one of the films I continually recommend.

The imagery is great and the story is good, a little predictable, but the whole package is something wonderful.  This movie is very visceral, and it can leave you emotionally drained afterwards.  The sum is more than it's parts really applies to this film.  I can't recommend this film enough.

One, recent, find is the short film Glas by director Bert Haanstra from 1958.  This is a great example of production glassblowing, by hand and by machine.  It is a short film, it's only about 10 minutes long, but gives people an idea of how a lot of glass items were made back in the day.  My favorite scene is the one below in the thumbnail, that gentleman is blowing glass in a suit.  He. Is. My. New. Hero.

Then while not exactly inspirational, I did find this a cool and satirical look at glassblowing from someone outside the industry.

Finally, something especially for Charlotte...

Robot Unicorn Attack

Personally I like all the versions of this game, but I am a little partial to the heavy metal one.  If you have ClickForFlash installed it will take a little longer for it to load, but it is fun.

My how things have changed

When I first started this project, there were very clear ideas of what I was actually trying to do.  I was attempting to make a head of some sort, mine or perhaps someone else's.  There was going to be drawing, mark making, on the glass to help delineate the features of the head.  There was going to be some type of table with assorted bell jars with different scraps of memory to reference a brain.  There were going to be a lot of things, and a lot of things have changed.

When I make objects, and in glass it's very hard to NOT make objects, I have a very strong desire to work the hell out of it.  Call it OCD, call it the crazies, call it whatever you want, I work and work and work to the point of over working things.  Sometimes I just don't know when to stop.  Sometimes, I just scoff at the idea of less is more.  Sometimes I think my desire to combine disciplines is a smokescreen for not being able to settle on one thing.  I am trying to not do that with this piece, at least I am trying to not that with this piece anymore.  Logistically, I think it would be impossible to pull off my original proposal in a semester.  My classmates can agree I have worked a lot, and I mean a $#@*!^& lot, with little to show in the way of a final project, and time is running out.

There is a reason that clichés are around, more often than not they are true.  One heard in the art world often is "Less is more", one heard in the glass world quite often is "Keep it simple stupid".  One that is particularly hitting me at the moment is "Jack of all trades, master of none".  Simple design was something that I would witness a lot in Japan.  Hand made items there had a strong, yet simple, design sense and an openness that a lot of hand made items of western design lack or is covered up by excess (Chihuly anyone?).  My reference point for this is primarily the glass world, before I get angry emails from people about how I'm calling them slouches... I'm not.

This idea of simplicity, and to a slightly lesser extent openness to interpretation, are the guiding forces behind this piece now until completion.  The glass walls of the box have not changed at all from their construction, the only detail changed here was removing the drawing.  I have started to refer to the project as the box and not the head, most of that has to do with a reference to a head, or still space, perhaps a room, which is all up to the viewer.  I believe by stripping the excess away the viewer can attach whatever they feel applies to this construct of mine.

The front of the box is a different story, it has gone through a few reconfigurations of glass panels and windows.  My final thoughts on this will to be add more windows to the front to completely close off the structure, and to also stagger the windows as well... so it's not just 2 rows of windows, there will be no more point of entry on the front anymore.  The original intent behind the windows were "The windows to the soul", but my windows opened up to brain... not a soul.  Sounded neat when I first conceptualized it, not so much now.

The interior has gone through several reincarnations of what will be inside.  The first idea was the table with bell jars, lots of bell jars, or just cluttered with family items like any coffee table in any house in America.  Then on to stripping that down further to a table with 3 clear bell jars on top, and 3 opaque bell jars hung underneath the table. (I still really like this idea and will probably make this it's own piece in the future) A mirroring of good and bad thoughts.  Finally on to a chair, made out of the door I originally wanted to make into the table in the first place.  This chair, made out of a portal, is now the center of this little glass world of mine.

A physical, spiritual, lonely, exhibitionist, etc, etc, chair now occupies an isolated, enclosing, safe, fragile, bright, etc, etc, space.  What will it be to the viewer?  I don't know, but I do look forward to finding out what others will think of it, and what their stories are, when it's done.


A few side notes...

I was planning on doing this post at some point but a few things prompted me to do this now.  Nicky's conceptual post, which is a great read and you can find here.  The other is Woody's reply to the previous blog entry.  He's curious, as I think all of my classmates are, about what the hell is going on in my head... and I have to thank him for bringing it up.  He's my classmate, it's his job to do that.