Homework #3
What is Fiber Sculpture? How is it different than sculpture? How would you articulate the qualities that might characterize an artwork to be a work of Fiber Sculpture to you?
Fiber sculpture is the use of fibrous materials (anything longer than it is wide) to create a form. It is different than other sculptural mediums in that it is very process-based, and the element of time is inescapable. Unlike crafts such as carving or metal-smithing, fiber processes record every movement of the artists’ hand, and all the time that went into the piece. It is impossible to smooth over or hide the time it took to create a knitted or embroidered work of art, for every stitch, and the time that each stitch signifies, becomes the visual experience itself. Therefore, fiber sculpture is an art practice in which time is a crucial factor in the experience of the work.
What do you think that the ideas, materials, and processes we have looked at in this course have to offer your art practice? What do you think you will actually revisit or explore further on your own in the future? Why?
Although I came into this class with a wealth of knowledge about fiber processes, this class gave me permission to use macrame as a fiber-sculpture technique. I have always enjoyed macrame, but never knew I could push the material to be more than a “crafty” wall-hanging or plant-hanger. By introducing macrame as one of the techniques covered in this fiber-sculpture class, I learned to approach it in a new way. I will definitely be exploring macrame as a fiber-sculptural process more in the future, because I find it to be a very exciting medium with a lot of potential for transformation.
What have you learned about your tendencies, habits and point of view as an artist this semester? Take a few minutes to articulate and acknowledge any new awareness’s you have about yourself as an artist on your blog.
I am not the kind of artist that can make a neat sketch, plan out every detail of my design, and follow it with perfect precision. I am the kind of artist that begins with an idea and then lets the process dictate what will happen next. I use my hands to make what feels good, and I use me eyes to determine what the next step is. I push and pull with the materials until I feel it is doing something exciting. My work is complex and obsessive. As much as I love simple sculptures, where the idea is strong but the work itself is simple, I cannot make that kind of work. There needs to be struggle and there needs to be considerable effort in both the process and the finished product. It is who I am, and, as a result, it’s what my art is. I have learned to embrace my artistic voice instead of trying to change it into something that is is not, because my strength as an artist lies in my uniqueness and not in my ability to emulate others.