Arts Explorer #2: Instant Sculpture with Found Objects

I actually started out by dreading this week’s blog but by the end I really was enjoying it.   Initially creating a sculpture terrified me.  Although I consider myself creative and I enjoy art immensely I didn’t have any idea of where to start with creating something with dimension.

ART WORD OF THE WEEK: The element of              MASS AND VOLUME

Described by Schirrmacher and Fox, in regards to art, mass and volume “are appropriate criteria for critiquing three-dimensional art, which has height, length, and width” (p.142).  Mass and Volume are kind of the next step passed shape (which will be discussed in a later post).  For example a circle would be reviewed by the standards of a shape while a sphere would be reviewed by the standards of mass and volume.  Therefore sculptures, which are three-dimensional, would use the standards of mass and volume.

So here was my process.  After seeing the description of this assignment I headed straight to my junk door (which was suggested) and started digging.  After trying to balance a stapler on a hole puncher balanced on three erasers I thought, “What am I doing? This isn’t anything!” And the hundreds of little white dots floating out of the hole puncher and all over the floor wasn’t making it any better.  So I tried again- I searched all around the house and finally came across some replacement light bulbs (like the ones that come in a string of lights) BINGO! I had an idea!  I went into my fruit cellar and pulled out big Christmas boxes (that I had just put away) and pulled out all the Christmas lights that I could find.  I tried wrapping them around chairs, tables, garbage cans etc but nothing was looking particularly special or interesting.  So I sat down to look around the room for some inspiration and while doing so absent mindedly started wrapping the string of bulbs around my hand- another BINGO!  If I’m making this sculpture- why don’t I become the sculpture?

I then recruited the help of my mother to help wrap the bulbs around my legs, torso, arms, finger, head etc.  I taped everything in place and asked my mom to take the picture.  I was very happy with the results.  After taking off all of the lights (and putting everything away) I sat down with my textbook and tried to describe, using the words given, the sculpture I (and my mom) and created.  I was a solid, curved, large, moving three-dimensional sculpture.  Anyone ever describe themselves as that before?

Art and creative development for young children (6th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar.

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009).