PROJECT THREE.
Found Object Assemblage
Initial ideas
-a standing assemblage piece
-hanging assemblage piece
Questions / Concerns
How am I going to put the found objects together?
What constitutes as an assemblage?
What am I going to buy?
What does the assemblage mean?
Inspiration / Brainstorming
Andy Goldsworthy
I have always been inspired by Andy Goldsworthy's work, and I've always wanted to do some sort of work involving nature, but I wasn't sure how to incorporate similar themes but make it my own work.
After purchasing all of the materials, I started to look at the pieces that I was drawn to and then I was able to pick up on some themes that emerged throughout the process. I had a lot of warm tones, natural items, and organic items, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with these pieces.
So I let the process take over. I began putting things together that seemed right.
It was really great going and seeing the assemblage work at the Sullivan Goss exhibition because it allowed me to get some inspiration as well as to see what artists in Santa Barbara are making.
I was really intrigued by all of the work and how intricate each of the pieces were. I noticed that I was gravitating towards pieces that were standing or had more of a presence opposed to the pieces that were on the wall. And that's when I wanted to try and make a piece that stood and also had a hanging aspect to it.
work in progress
This was my first initial trial of making an assemblage.
BUT, i wasn't completely satisfied. It seemed scattered, and didn't really tell a story in my mind. I got stuck having it seen in this one way that I didn't know what to do with it or how to improve it.
After our group in progress critique, David and Olivia told me to rethink some of my initial ideas. They didn't say that my piece was "bad" but more so thought that I was stuck in seeing it this one way.
So I set out and tried to change my perception and shift things a bit. I wanted to see all of the pieces and figure out what I was trying to portray.
I wanted to rethink my whole assemblage.
Which led me to start to collect random items and to think about the actual found objects.
I put together these bamboo sticks and began attaching items that were more man-made onto these bamboo pieces.
Then it clicked. A lot of the pieces that I had were natural pieces and I added to them in some way.
The work that I created ended up being a commentary on how we effect nature. These natural pieces that we have have been augmented and transformed.
I wanted to showcase the invasion of humans into nature. We come and disrupt nature. The little things that we are doing nature actually impact the ecosystem quite drastically.
I made a conscious decision of where I wanted my assemblage piece to be displayed. I initially thought I wanted it outside, but I really wanted to be able to highlight the contrast between the colors as well as emphasize the nature aspect.
I wanted the piece to be playful but once you know the deeper meaning on how we invade nature and effect it, it's perception starts to change.
Reflection
The assemblage project was challenging for me. As someone that likes to picture how the ending will look, it was quite frustrating to just buy these pieces but not being able to see how it will end. But overall, it stretched me and helped me to grow. This project made me realize that I liked just putting things together and that I thrive in spontaneous environments.
I realised quickly that I after putting my initial piece together that I was stuck. I wasn't sure how to progress and what it even meant. And I'm so thankful that we had an in-process critique because it allowed me to switch my mindset and to think in different ways. This really helped me to get out of this comfort zone and to think outside of the box that I had created. I began running around the school thinking of places to put it and where I wanted to install the piece. For me, the environment is very important. I wanted to have the wall correct, the general lighting to be nice, the sounds, the smell, the location. And I landed with having it in the artlab 2. Initially I was hesitant because it was inside, but I began to think about my piece and what it was trying to convey and it began to fit perfectly.
On the day of the critique, I opened the doors and we were able to hear the rain trickling down outside which was a nice touch to my piece. It was funny because we had this piece that was saying how we are invading into nature, and nature is then invading our critique and helping create this pleasant and calming experience while looking at my piece. It was a nice touch.
All in all, this assemblage project was one of my favorite pieces that I have created. It felt personal because it was something that I was passionate about. I also just enjoyed the process now looking back on it. It was hard not knowing what would come about, but now that it is done, each step was done for a reason and ended up just coming together.