Masked Identity

Frowning

18 gauge galvanized wire, tracing paper, red ink

approx. 22" x 12" x 19" 

For my mask I decided to play with what I consider a stereotype: that women should always be happy or smiling. I have a naturally serious looking face, and this coupled with my more reserved personality, has led to countless instances of people I know-or complete strangers-demanding that I smile; no matter what I am doing. I wanted to go for a more humorous tone to reflect how ridiculous it seems to me to feel the need to plaster on a fake smile while doing even the most mundane activities, like waiting to cross the road, or throwing away trash. In fact, the next day after taking these photos a man I did not know emerged from the bathroom while I was waiting for the elevator and told me "It helps to smile" followed by "feel better".

I chose a public setting for the photos to increase interaction with people and also represent my normal daily life. Ironically, the sight of giant frowning lips made many people smile. I shot the photos in pairs with the idea to be presented as a progression; the first one looking away, and the second one gazing at the viewer (presumably after being told to laugh or smile).

I incorporated the color pink because it is a stereotypical feminine color, and I feel that the idea of projecting happiness constantly is an expectation more often geared towards females.

The renaissance symbol that I chose to use was the closed book, which represents the continuation of education and learning. This made sense to me because I am currently in college. Another reason I chose this is because I am still learning how to deal with this problem. Being told to smile more used to make me very angry. However, now, I have come to see some humor in these situations and recognize those of the group that only want others to be happy.

Process Photos:

3D to 2D

Symmetry

digital

For this project I decided to manipulate images of my three small sculptures in order to represent one of the elements or principles that I did not choose as the focus for any of the sculptures. In order to represent symmetry, I knew that I wanted to repeat the images and rearrange them. I started by placing all three images onto one canvas on Photoshop. I then layered them on top of each other and used a linear dodge filter on the second layer and a multiply filter on the third. This created the merging effect that makes them look like a new sculpture. I repeated the new image and arranged them to create a symmetrical composition. One thing that this project made me notice is the presence of geometric shape that was in each of my original sculptures. This is mirrored and emphasized by the geometric diamond shape that formed in the center and the straight lines that were repeated. 

Process Photo:

Memento

Through the Rain

foam board, straight pins, tracing paper

approx. 6" x 2.25" x 2"

 

Detail

In Process: 

This memento is a representation of visiting my best friend's house many times in high school, and one day in particular. We often would toss a large bowl of marshmallows into the microwave and make Rice Crispy snacks to eat while watching cartoons in the living room for hours. The material of the crisp white tracing paper reflects this. On one day, we were bored and noticed that it was about to rain outside; we decided to go for a walk in the rain to the gas station, and bring our art journals just to see how all the ink and paint would change after getting wet. The repetition and shape of the dots of tracing paper that I cut using a hole puncher mimics the soft almost transparent repetition of the rain drops. The tunnel represents the small space of the living room where we would spend time, and the hovering rectangles of foam board are the street markers that we saw when we went on walks; also the continuation of our friendship over time and obstacles. The white color mirrors the white of the pages in the art journals. 

On Longing

 

"The body is the primary mode of perceiving scale"

I chose this picture for this quote, because when I took it, i was trying to convey how enormous this aquarium was to those that I sent the photo to and as a memory for myself. This was taken when I visited the aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia; the largest in the country and one of the largest in the world. The only way that one can grasp the size of the aquarium is from the size of the bodies of the people standing in front of it, and perhaps by the size of the bodies of the fish inside it. 

"Capacity of objects to serve as traces of authentic experience"

With the second quote I was reminded of this picture I took of my birthday cake last year. we had only put in one candle, because we had not felt like searching for nineteen of them. This made me think of how we use the objects of candles to represent years of our lives; and how each year is just a collection of experiences.

"The souvenir reduces the public, the monumental, and the three-dimensional into the miniature, that which can be enveloped by the body"

This quote made me think of this picture I took while picking blackberries with my mom one afternoon in Deland. The experience of spending time with her all day and the location of the activity were all reduced to and represented by that basket of fruit. This was then enveloped by the body-consumed. The filter on the bottom also shows that I had posted this on Snapchat, which is viewed on mobile devices, and therefore the experience is enveloped by the hands and eyes of others.

"Nostalgia cannot be sustained without loss"

This image is a picture that I took at the music museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. This room and many others housed outfits and other artifacts from famous musical artists that have already passed away. People pay to enter the museum and experience the nostalgia of the music and the creators of that music that have been lost. 

"to have a souvenir of the exotic is to posses both a specimen and a trophy"

I recently ate at the new Jollibee restaurant in Jacksonville. Jollibee is a Filipino fast food chain, with only a handful of locations in The United States. I am half Filipina, so I had gone to try this one. I took pictures of the food and tasted to serve as a specimen that represents the entire chain, which is considered rare and exotic here. I also sent the pictures to a few people to show that I had gone to it; making this image function also as a trophy. 

Map Relief

Fragile

packaging tape, foam board, tracing paper

approx. 18" x 26" x 12"

In Process: 

With this map relief, I wanted to focus on transparency in order to represent the fragility of both the natural world and the man made world, as well as the relationship between the two. I think it is easy for many people to think that natural forms such as mountains and ocean are indestructible because of their imposing size as and seemingly timeless presence, but humans can relatively quickly destroy countless miles of forest, reshape landscapes, and change the entire system of the ocean. On the other hand, living in Florida, I have seen tornadoes and many hurricanes; I know that nature could just as easily destroy the human world.

I chose to make the buildings of a small city out of clear packaging tape to emphasize the fragility of man, and mountains out of delicate layers of tracing paper-also semi-transparent- using molds made of aluminum foil, to represent the fragility of nature. The two environments extend from opposite sides of the same plane to represent their relationship. I chose to show the underside of the mountain forms in order to force the viewer to confront the hollow fragility of them. They also resemble craters which threaten to consume the city on the other side.

Soap Carving

Baby Doll

white soap, pink soap

white (1st attempt): 1.75" x 2.75" x 4.5"

pink (2nd attempt): approx. 1.5" x 2.5" x 4.25" 

In Process: 

Three Small Sculptures

Going Nowhere

balsa wood, straight pins, wood glue

approx. 2.5" x 5.5" x 2.5"

 In Process: 

My first sculpture focused on rhythm. To achieve this, I glued two long skinny pieces of balsa wood together, and then sanded them once they dried to create a cylindrical form. I then folded my sand paper and sanded grooves that swirled around the form. I laid out straight pins using the grid on my cutting mat and poured a layer of wood glue between them. lastly, after drying, I stuck the shelf or step-like structures along the curving paths made by the grooves. This resulted in a rhythm created by the uneven steps as one spins the sculpture using the pins on either top or bottom. 

Glass House

packaging tape, balsa wood, straight pins, masking tape, wood glue

3" x 7.5" x 3"

In Process: 

With the second sculpture I explore space. I had the idea to create a space that was transparent to the viewer, so that no aspect of the space was closed off from sight. To do this, I chose to use packaging tape for the outer structure, rather than masking tape. The inner dome is another space, that can be viewed from the bottom, and is pierced by straight pins which lift it about 3/4" from the surface that it rests on. I made this using a balsa wood circle that I cut lengthwise, then sanded and put grooves on each and wedged them together. I then added triangles of masking tape and dots of wood glue. I was inspired by some shells that are round with tiny bumps on them. 

Stuck...

paper, wood glue, balsa wood

3.5" x 2" x 3.25"

In Process: 

My final sculpture emphasizes texture. I started by attempting to create a pulp out of the paper by shredding it into small pieces and soaking it in water for a few days. My plan was to create something soft and cloud-like, however, the paper did not break down in the water. I then decided  to saturate the paper with wood glue to make a sticky paste. I formed a lump with a dent similar to a bowl, and allowed to dry. I then stacked three squares of balsa wood, glued them, and sanded them into a ball, which i placed into the dent. the smooth soft texture of the ball contrasts with the rough hardened texture of the jagged paper to emphasize both.