Anna's Art: March 2015

Sunday, 29 March 2015

Paper Cell Manipulation

After researching the artist Mary Button, who creates paper sculptures and pieces with a cellular-like appearance. I chose to look into her style of work and create a piece based upon dividing cells. I cut strips of paper up from a magazine using a blue colour scheme. The strips were different lengths to create varying sized circles.

After painting the back board bluish tones, I used spray mount to create a tacky surface for the circles to stick too. I placed on the circles using tweezers, which was very time-consuming. The spray mount dried pretty quickly so the circles did no stick well. Eventually, I placed all the circles on and covered it with PVA glue to make sure the adhesive was especially strong and hold the shapes in place.

Sketchbook work

Paper cells

Paper on board

Cells dividing

It was interesting to explore a different area of the body, with cells being a particularly interesting subject matter due to their continuously changing shapes. Nevertheless, I did not find this a very successful piece as it did not have the same fragile outcome as Button's did. Her work almost glowed owing to the translucent paper. Maybe if I were to use tissue/tracing paper it would have the aesthetics I fancied.

Monday, 16 March 2015

Bone Marrow

Looking deeper into the anatomy, at a more microscopic level, I became interested in bone and its structure. The bone marrow has very interesting shapes that resemble cave-like structures. I wanted to try and replicate the similar, connecting shapes of the bone marrow using simple materials like wire in a more abstract fashion. I began using wire and string, bending it into the desired shape and wrapping the string around to add the correct colour and added textures. It is a simplified representation showing the crossover of the fibres.

Bone

Abstracted wire bone marrow

Although I am interested in the bone marrow, I do not think this wire structure will develop into my final piece. However, I do like the idea of using the bone marrow as inspiration due to its intriguing forms and both its positive and negative space.

Sunday, 15 March 2015

Plaster Exploration

INITIAL IDEAS

After looking into the bone marrow, I decided to use another material: plaster. Using a drill, I cut out areas and created the bone-like structures and their internal nature. I began experimenting with the blocks, which look as if they are eroded away. I very much liked the effect and decided to continue looking at this material and process.

ADDING TO PLASTER

I wanted to blend my previous bone ideas with the plaster, so I placed bent wire into the plaster and let the plaster set. I then wrapped string around the wire to give it the white, bone appearance. It formed an interesting shape and has a completely different feel to it depending on which angle you place the block. I then added twisted tissue paper into another block, which was already drilled. It gave it alien-like tendencies as if parts of the bone marrow had been tunnelled out and pulled into these forms. These tentacle forms are quite interesting and is something I might pursue in my final idea.

CYLINDER AND SCALE

I made a larger, cylindrical mould from a tube and added metal bolts to try and suspend the plaster. I drilled it with the same method as before, to create the randomly distributed holes to form the bone marrow. .

UNEVEN PLASTER

I used a lumpier mould to create a more realistic bone marrow surface and was able to drill all the way through. With this one, I was trying to explore the disease osteoporosis which creates a more porous bone. The bone is less dense and becomes much weaker. I tried to make the holes more concentrated and cover more of the plaster to replicate this disease. There are many bone diseases that affect the bone in varying ways. I want to explore these different diseases and how they affect the bone and its structure.

Thursday, 12 March 2015

Cellular

After looking into bone marrow, I decided to take a slight tangent and look into other microscopic structures in the body. I enquired about cells and their connective nature, also their relationship with other forms like veins etc. This was a very basic model using wood, tissue and string. This could potentially be blown up in size as a large scale sculpture or installation. I used tissue which was twisted to hold a strong shape and then looped them together. I attached these to the wood using staples and then added the blood vessels (string) that entwined with the cells. Abnormal cells, especially cancerous, have properties to group together and grow, causing growths. They attach in an interesting manner.

If everything else goes wrong, this is something I can always come back with due to its effective yet simplistic nature and easy making process. It involves very little handy-work, however, the tissue in this process was weak and held together feebly, so the loops kept breaking apart. Personally, I prefer the bone marrow exploration and models, and that is what I would like to look into further.

Monday, 9 March 2015

Capillary, Veins and Arteries

Some of my initial thoughts was to look into veins, arteries and capillaries due to their connective network system and their importance within the body. They are almost like the pipes and wires of the body. This connective matrix of vessels creates very interesting shapes, especially the capillaries. I tried to recreate the capillaries and its complicated structure using paper. I cut out the negative space using a scalpel and shaped it in different ways such as a cylinder and draped. I can see these being larger scaled, architectural pieces. The form also creates interesting shadows. I chose to use paper as it is a easily pliable material, however, it is extremely fragile and broke easily.

Capillary Shadow

Capillary Network in Paper

I then experimented with wire but it did not work as well as paper; although there is a connecting nature it had a more knotted, tangled feel; it did not have a continuous flowing nature like that of the internal vessels.

Wire Capillary Close-up

Wire Capillary

I chose to experiment even further with this idea of capillaries using clay. Clay is an extremely malleable material to use and it had the same process as paper. The negative space is cut out. I decided to put folds in the clay to have a more realistic structure. I decided to move away from the capillaries, veins and arteries and look into layers of the body such as skin, hair, blood and so on. Moreover, I want to look into even more microscopic areas that play an important role in the architecture of the body.

Clay Capillary

I then looked into the tight network of the veins, arteries and capillaries using mixed media. I wanted to show the interwinding and layered nature of the blood vessels, which transport blood to all areas of the body; to tissue, organs, muscle and so on. I created an abstracted version of these capillaries using clay, string, tape and wires, which overlap and connect.

Layering of veins, capillaries and arteries

Friday, 6 March 2015

FINAL MAJOR PROJECT

My final major project is based upon the human body, with the title 'Architecture of the Human Body'. I have been interested in the human body throughout this year, with many of my ideas sparking from this concept. I am particularly interest in artists such as Antony Gormley, especially the series Aperture, as a result of his ideas on the human body having a space of its own. He considers the body as a place rather than an object.

The human form is such as broad area to look into that it allows me to explore and investigate many different areas such as organs, microscopic domains, the body as a whole and so much more. I hope to explore many of these areas in an assortment of materials, processes and techniques.

Below are artists than have inspired me previously, who may prompt new and exciting ideas in my projects.

Aperture - Antony Gormley

The nail art by Gormley is also very intriguing, as he creates the spacial area of the human form out of old nails. These are located in a cathedral, in unusual positions that the human form would never usually situate. I made a sample piece similar to this idea using pins in clay. I wanted to create a spine-like piece. The ball ends of the pins act as the focal design, whilst the long ends fill in the gaps.

Richard Serra

Portrait Heads - Louis le Brocquy

David Oliveira

3D drawing in style of Oliveira

Doris Kim Sung

I have also visited many exhibitions, museums and galleries to catalyse ideas for my final major project. I visited Barcelona, London Galleries such as the Victoria Miro, Gagosian Gallery and the White Chapel Gallery, as well as the more local National Museum of Wales.