#3d studies

[k00299539]

Disrupt Project Week 7 - Out of the Kiln, into the Vacuum Form

For Week 7 I signed up for the Exploring 3D Materials workshop, which I kind of unofficially joined last week. From what I had learned it seemed the best fit to help me with my vacuum forming plan. So with a plan in mind, I showed up late, hid for a while, and then got to work. The first step was locating my clay man...

Above: A failed plan...

Above: Turns out he was in the kiln, who woulda thought...

I don't know who unloads the kiln but I love the way they posed my sculpture, it really drove home for me how much I had lucked into a cool idea with the split head.

I also hadn't realised while sculpting but the board I was using must've had red clay worked on it recently cause it ended up dying my guy from a dreary grey to a delightful peach.

After "carefully" carrying it up across the foyer and up two flights of stairs, all that was left was to carry back down those flights of stairs of stairs to have it vacuum formed. Simple as.

Above: I'm sure it's impossible to tell, but I did in fact put more effort into the front profile.

My guy actually survived the kiln pretty well, I had poked enough holes in him as to assuage my worries him going full Oppenheimer. But I still wasn't sure how well his... fringe? horns? would hold up. Similarly he didn't even crack despite the clay being days old at that point.

Above: I took a lot of photos in case he exploded in the vacuum forming machine... I seem to find myself worrying about exploding sculptures a lot.

With my imromptu photo shoot finished the next step was actually vaccum forming him. And...

Above: I underestimated the difficulty of photographing an impression in plastic.

...The vacuum forming turned out surprisingly well. I was helped with this by Chris and Aisling. Chris was worried about the huge amount of potential undercuts given the nature of my sculpture. In the end though there weren't too many and the sculpture even popped back out of plastic with minimal damage. I really can't give Chris enough credit for this as he operated the machine and basically did all the work. Learning how vacuum forming worked and seeing it in action was a great experience.

Above: Some pics of the front mold compared to the sculpture.

Above: An assessment of the damage.

Above: Their final resting place...

After all that I brought the vacuum formed molds back home to play around with and see what I might be able to do with ice. I found what seems to be the only remaining unclaimed locker... which means I'm the only idiot to not claim a locker, and stashed them away for safe keeping.

Right now I'm kind of procrastinating on the whole "use the mold to remake the sculpture out of ice" part, so we can only hope I get on that soon.

[mel-roth]

Model sheets for Arturo’s 3D project. The theme is “occult”.

[k00299539]

Disrupt Project Week 6 - Clay for Firing

I came into school on Thursday with zero idea what I was doing. I basically just hid in the bathroom casually loitered around until the Materials Store opened and I could grab more clay.

I turned my dwarf guy into something a bit more reminiscent of my earlier sketch. I think I lost a bit of the charm in the conversion but at this point I was just trying to get it across the finish line. If left to my own devices I'd never finish anything.

Sylvia helped me out again by suggesting I relocate to the Clay Studio, where they have actual tools and resources for working with clay...

Mary Conroy(I might have that name wrong) helped me figure out more of the technical details with my sculpture. I knew there were definitely air pockets in the clay given how quickly I'd slapped it together, and I was worried it might explode in the kiln.

Mary suggested I cut the whole thing in half and scoop out the insides. My guys face got a bit flattened in the process as you can see in the picture above. I think this process of cutting the sculpture in half, although done initially to solve a technical problem, actually contributed massively to it's quality as a piece of work for the Disrupt project.

The visual of an avatar of myself (allegedly) cleanly cut in half in such a way as to be impossible to fit back together, is exactly the kind of thing I want to explore through the theme of self destruction.

At this point my phone was out of charge (hence the relative lack of pictures) so I hurried on to finish the sculpture so it could be fired that night.

[k00299539]

LSAD Seminar 02: 3D Studies with Elaine Riordan - Part 2 (I ran out of space edition)

This was originally all included in my last post on the 3D Studies seminar, but I ran up against the "30 images per post" limit that our cruel overlords imposed upon us. Basically I want to run through the seven elements of 3D studies outlined in the seminar and share an artist, found through my own research, who I feel exemplifies that particular element.

Form

Louise Bourgeois

Louise Bourgeois is so renowned it almost feels like cheating to include her on a list like this, especially given the breadth of her work, incorporating many disciplines and techniques in her work. I chose Bourgeois for "form" as I feel she pushed the boundaries of what could be considered "form" as much as any artist ever has. Utilising mirrors like canvases, for example, makes us question where the form of a given piece lies. Similarly incorporating other elements such as structure, location, and space allowed her to express ideas in an entirely new way, unburdened by a dogmatic sense of what form "should" be. In this way Bourgeois' work broadened our understanding of what form.

Structure

Georges Vantongerloo

Georges Vantongerloo was a Belgian abstract sculptor and founding member of the "De Stijl" or Neoplasticism movement. Proponents of De Stijl advocated pure abstraction and universality by a reduction to the essentials of form and colour; they simplified visual compositions to vertical and horizontal, using only black, white and primary colors. This idea of using reduction to find an underlying meaning led him to explore structure in his art. Vantongerloo never achieved major success in life and is often considered to have been too devoted to his movement. But through his sacrificial nature we gained insight into the pure structural nature of art, and the truth and beauty found therein.

Texture

Anni Albers

"Besides surface qualities, such as rough and smooth, dull and shiny, hard and soft, textiles also includes colour, and, as the dominating element, texture, which is the result of the construction of weaves. Like any craft it may end in producing useful objects, or it may rise to the level of art."

A quote from the woman herself sums it up better than I ever could. Anni Albers is one of the most important textile artists there ever was. Her work elevated the standing of textile work in the art world and paved the way for the many artists to appear in her wake. Like many who work with 3D, she blurred the lines between art and design, gaining recognition for the traditionally feminine world of "craft" often excluded from the wider art world.

Volume

Bruno Catalano

Bruno Catalano is a Italian-French sculptor best known for his sculptures of figures with substantial sections missing. In my previous post I described the concept of "volume" in 3D studies as having to do with negative space, we must perceive an absence of some kind to truly grasp the volume of something. Much like the visual hollow of a glass informs its volume, Catalano's sculptures express volume specifically through their substantial missing portions. We as observers are forced to contemplate the "how" of a work, in such a way we would never need to with a conventional sculpture. Similarly Catalano's common practice of clothing his sculptures in everyday attire achieves the same effect in an additive manner, rather than a subtractive approach.

Weight

Sheila Hicks

Sheila Hicks is another who could reasonably be argued to define basically every element on this list. Her work is similar in ways to Anni Albers, whom I placed on this list under the category of "Texture". While Hicks works undoubtedly deals with texture, as it does sculpture, colour, and narrative among others, what has always stood out to me first and foremost about her work is it's sheer weight. Hicks is particularly known for the contrast in the scale of her works, ranging from minute to massive. What intrigues me though is how through her work, we see the minute become the massive. Common, lightweight elements like wool and string become enormous behemoths, stacked like rocks in galleries or flowing like waterfalls through ceiling installations. There are many artists who work with heavy material but few who convey weight regardless of material.

Space

Chiharu Shiota

Chiharu Shiota was my immediate pick to exemplify the element of "space". Her work is not location-specific as it can be rearranged and displayed throughout many galleries but it is absolutely space-specific. Her installations dominate the space they occupy like few others. Shiota's work leverages the element of space to create ideas around the body and flesh, territory, and alienation. I feel there's not much else I can write here other than I'd love to visit an installation of hers one day and see the sheer scale of the space for myself.

Location

Lady Pink

I chose Lady Pink for the element of "location" as her signature graffiti work is deeply tied to her hometown of New York City and her identity therein. She began her career in graffiti in 1979 after the loss of her boyfriend, tagging his name across the city. I wrote in my last post that my understanding of location as an element, is that it's deeply attached to a work's context. Something so inextricably linked it would lose meaning were it removed from it's location. From the beginning Lady Pink's work has been inextricable from her life in New York.

[k00299539]

LSAD Seminar 02: 3D Studies with Elaine Riordan

Above: Geometric Moss Art Installation by Freecell

What is 3D Studies?

This would be a lot easier if I could just say 3D studies is the study of 3D but I doubt LSAD will allow me to away with that. 3D studies is an interdisciplinary field of study involving engagement with the physical and tactile elements of our environment. As opposed to 2D work done on flat canvases and computer screes, 3D work occupies physical space with measurable height, width, depth, weight, etc. 3D studies is relevant to every specialisation and a vital part of the art ad design process.

We are provided a handy checklist by Tutor Elaine Riordan in the seminar that summarises the "what" of 3D studies:

3D Studies may be seen as:

"...fine art or design"

"...small or large scale"

"...positive or negative in form"

"...you and the space you inhabit"

"...made from any material/media"

"...engaging us physically or emotionally"

"...site specific or not"

The elements of 3D studies covered in this seminar include Form, Structure, Texture, Volume, Weight, Space, and Location. These elements are explored through the use of materials and processes and active engagement with the contexts in which the exist. I've included below my best guess explanation of each of these seven concepts.

Elements of Exploration in 3D Studies:

Form

Above: Our given example of an artist who works with form, Ruth Asawa.

What is form?

Form in simple terms refers to the overall "shape" of any given work of art or design. Form is present in even the most two-dimensional works of art, such as the canvas on which a painting is expressed. Over time there has been great movement from artists to challenge and elevate the nature of form in art, taking it from an assumed background element to the forefront.

Further Examples of Asawa's work:

Structure

Above: Our given example of an artist working with structure: Úna Burke.

What is structure?

Structure could well be described as the "shadow" of form. If form represents the resultant, visible outcome of a work of art or design, then structure represents the underlying framework that allows form to exist. If form is often overlooked as a background element, then structure is in the background of the background. Artists who work with structure highlight not the pure outcome of their work, but the "how" and "why" of it.

Further Examples of Burke's work:

Texture

Above: Our given example of an artist working with texture, Junko Mori.

What is texture?

Texture refers broadly to the "feeling" of a given work, whether that feeling be the tactile sensation of cold marble or hardened acrylic, or simply the visible texture of dabbled brushstrokes on canvas. Ultimately texture can express and exude feeling on an entirely separate physiological level from other characteristics of 3D studies. Artists who work with texture can play with our expectations and assumptions by matching or contrasting a works texture to its form, structure, etc.

Further Examples of Mori's work:

Volume

Above: Our given example of an artist working with volume: Viktor & Rolf.

What is volume?

I've always thought of volume as synonymous with negative space in 3D art. The volume is implied by the form and structure of a given work. Much like how the negative space can't exist without positive, volume cannot exist without its container. Artist who champion volume allow is to see what is not there and in doing so, broaden our collective vision.

Further Examples of Viktor & Rolf's work:

Weight

Above: Our given example of an artist working with weight, Frances Lambe.

What is weight?

Weight refers not just to the literal mass of an object in art and design, but to its prominence in an given piece. Artists who utilise weight in their work often create a strong sense of visual hierarchy and harmony between their various compositional elements. Making the heavy appear light, or the light appear heavy challenges us not just to contemplate the creation of a given piece but to question the world around us and our own underlying assumptions therein.

Further Examples of Lambe's work:

Space

Above: Our given example of an artist working with space, Richard Serra.

What is space?

Space as a concept is similar to volume, in that it's all about the relationship between what is present and what's not. The impression of small object viewed up close from below is starkly different from that same object viewed from a distance in a large empty room, for example. Space can alter and redefine the ideas or intent of a given work by changing its context. The immense power of space is something that must always be considered when creating and appreciating art, as we can no more divorce a work of art from space than we can divorce ourselves from it.

Further Examples of Serra's work:

Location

Above: Our given example of an artist working with location, Anish Kapoor.

What is location?

Location, location, location! Similar to, but more specific than space, location deeply affects the context of a given work of art. A urinal displayed in an art gallery leaves a decidedly different impression upon the viewer than a urinal in a bathroom, for example. Location is likely the most context dependent item on this list as it plays into very real cultural and political associations. Something as innocuous as a red post box has a sharply negative connotation here in Ireland. Artists who utilise location display a keen understanding of context and a sympathy for the human experience.

Further Examples of Kapoor's work:

[tatitung]

    When I first tried engineering it was so I could be a 3D animator but was discouraged by the programming needed at that time (hey, it was in 1996!)

Now there are many softwares to choose from and ZBrush was it. Enrolled in Schoolism classes with Justin Goby Fields and those are some results of my first assignments.

It’s never too late to accomplish our dreams!

Have a great week!!!

3D adventures When I first tried engineering it was so I could be a 3D animator but was discouraged by the programming needed at that time (hey, it was in 1996!)

[lintufriikki]

We had to present our showreel at school for a few industry professionals and our teachers who gave us critique on them. I’m happy that I got very positive feedback on it! Hopefully I’ll be able to update it with some new material soon. Please watch in HD, if you do!

[lintufriikki]

I’ve learned to do particle effects and I’m using my new skills for good