abstract surface project

this is an abstract assignment for surface research. we brought objects in that could fit in the palm of our hand, sketched the object in contour multiple times, cut the sketch into eight equal pieces, then rearranged it how we wanted. we then transferred the collaborated sketch onto a new paper and made a work from it.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor

a really great musical influence of mine over the years has been the anarchist post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor.  i just found out that they're reuniting for a tour this Winter, and coming to the 9:30 club in DC next February.
their music is highly orchestrated, it waxes and wanes through different movements, using multiple instruments and samples. Sometimes the music is very minimalistic and at others it has multiple layers of french horns, guitars, violins, and voice samples (the members never actually sing).  their songs are usually about twenty minutes long, but each one is very non-repetitive and moves in and out of different sound scapes.

they are really skilled in my opinion because they give a feeling of uneasy beauty by using only music.  They paint a picture of a broken down, hopeless America without using lyrics and very few words.
the style of music has really influenced my art for the past few years - which is also struggling to portray the "dark shattered underbelly of the american dream." - jello biafra

blogspot won't let me put a video on here from youtube, but here's a link if you're interested.  it's a portion of a song from their album "lift yr skinny fists like antennas to heaven"

fifty characters

our first project for surface research was to create a work utilizing fifty black and white, abstract images that were all related somehow.  i chose to do a set of abstracted door hinges, representing all the paths one goes down in life - it's a little cliche, but those doors of opportunity that open and close all around you couldn't work without the hinges.  these hinges come in all shapes and sizes.

i designed the work to look different from all sides, and even change as the viewer interacts with it.  the viewer can open and close each hinge, revealing the opposite sides of the hinge - which are for the most part aren't symmetric.  the hinges are also very close together, making it impossible to open or close certain hinges when others get it in the way.

which is also a sort of metaphor for life, you have to set everything up as a puzzle in order to make it work.  certain things aren't possible without others being absent or present, in the background and foreground.
i have a better picture with a frontal view of the work that i will post tomorrow.

Karen Garrett

I found a great sculptor today when looking for cardboard sculpting techniques online.  Her name is Karen Garrett, and she uses found materials and "trash" for most of her sculptures that I've seen.  As from what I understand, most of you in your first semester of AFO are doing cardboard sculptures for Space Research, so this might interest you.  Here are a couple of my favorite pieces from her website.
"Trash or Treasure" - made of cardboard, resin, and fiberglass.

Also "The Kiss"