Low-Fire Ceramics 2013

Final Project: His Eye is on the Sparrow

 

My daily act was to hot glue a couple of buttons to a piece of 11x14 white Bristol paper every day. Using the buttons, I filled in an outline of a silhouette of a sparrow on a branch that I drew the first day. I didn't always just take one picture per day, and I didn't only put a specific number of buttons on per day. I wanted a nice casual flow of the piece that showed progression over time, but I didn't want it to be an exact science. Towards the end of my project, I continuously layered buttons on top of one another to smooth out the edges of the silhouette and play with different color juxtapositions. Before I ever started gluing, I did a practice run to see about how many buttons I would need. That definitely changed, though, once I began the project. I couldn't remember where I had put most of the buttons originally, so I ended up needing quite a few more buttons that I thought I would.

 

As you look at the piece and touch the buttons, you can see all of the layers that went into the piece. You can see the time it took to add each layer and smooth out the edges. In the photographic documentation of the piece over time, you see the sparrow and branch take form out of the blank white space. I used a plain black shadow box to display my piece for practical and sentimental purposes. I needed a frame that would allow more room for the layers of buttons. I also wanted the ability to open the case to allow for myself, and others, to touch the buttons. Also, the idea of a shadow box is to display trinkets and things that have a special meaning. Everything that I put into this piece is very special to me.

 

I chose to do this piece as my final presentation for a few reasons. All of the reasons stem from things that are very dear to my heart. The reason I drew a silhouette of a sparrow on a branch is because of a quote that has always comforted me. The quote I wrote in my piece is "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me." This quote has origins that can be found in the Bible, and it is also on the front of my diary. Both of these items I carry with me and use every single day. So, to me, this quote represents a personal daily routine of mine. The buttons came from the fact that I just absolutely love buttons. For years, I have been making greeting cards with them for close friends and family members. Therefore, the buttons represent the way I have marked time over the years with the passing of holidays and birthdays of my loved ones. The clean white paper is a fresh start. I will be moving away from home in the fall and will have a brand new life to begin and a chance to dive into who I am as an artist and woman. But I will always hold on to what is nearest to my heart; my Lord and my family.

 

 

 

Time-based Artist Presentation: Bruce Nauman

 

BRUCE NAUMAN



Fountain


Art Make-Up: No. 1 White, No. 2 Pink, No. 3 Green, No. 4 Black (still from video)


Fifteen Pairs of Hands


Mystic Truths


Animal Pyramid


Walking in an Exaggerated Manner Around the Perimeter of a Square

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=oDhuZ2Ya2wM

Walking in an Exaggerated Manner: 2013 Recreation

     In Walking in an Exaggerated Manner around the Perimeter of a Square, we basically see a compilation of all of the central themes that Bruce Nauman's work revolves around.  These themes include circularity, repetition, minimalism, and body awareness.  The setting of the ten minute video is an average, every day art studio.  There is a shabby looking stool and art work remnants on the floor.  There is also a mirror propped up to reveal what is off camera, what you didn't expect to see.  Bruce Nauman walks forwards and backwards around the perimeter of a taped off square.  He exaggerates every step and shifts his weight back and forth between his hips, creating a contrapposto posture.  He has a blank stare throughout the performance.  At first glance, the video seems like it would be incredibly boring with nothing changing throughout the piece.  But when you watch it closer, you notice the little moments of tension and anticipation when he struggles to hold his balance.
     Interpretations of the video can include the questioning of what is and isn't art, body awareness, minimalism, repetition, and circularity.  I believe that this piece was a chance for Nauman to show how the artist's awareness of his/her own body is communicated to the viewer.  There is a quote from an interview that Bruce Nauman did where he says, "An awareness of yourself comes from a certain amount of activity and you can't get it from just thinking about yourself.  You do exercises . . . So the films and some of the pieces that I did after that for videotapes were specifically about doing exercises in balance."  This piece, to me, is so simple and effortless, and yet so thought out at the same time. 
     After recreating this piece, I can honestly say that though it may look effortless, it wasn't!  I set up my garage to look as close to his studio as possible, with the masking tape squares, plain backdrop, shabby stool, tilted mirror, and remnant art work (my Honk if this is Art sign).  I even wore similar clothing.  My only real difference there was that he was barefoot and I instead wore socks (the garage floor was freezing!)  I practiced up a bit to figure out how many times I would need to walk around the square and decided on five times.  Then came the hard part.  Walking slowly in an exaggerated manner is really challenging!  It feels very awkward and unstable.  I lost my balance quite a bit but got through it. 
   When I first saw his piece I thought he had such a sexy confident tone to his strut without really trying.  I wanted my piece to have the same vibe.  This may sound a bit strange, but I didn't feel like I would be able to capture that feeling with my hands just at my sides.  I felt much more confident and feminine with my hands on my hips.  Hopefully that comes through to the viewers.  I didn't want it to seem like I was trying to walk "sexy" or anything, but just poised and confident which, inevitably, is sexy.
   The significance of recreating Bruce Nauman's piece is simply that the piece is timeless.  It was made years before I was ever even thought of, and yet when I watched it, I immediately was drawn to it.  Even after all these years it still feels fresh and relatable.  I think that is the power of minimalism.  When things are kept simple they are more open to interpretation, and therefore, can become much more relatable.
   

Time-based Artist Proposal: Bruce Nauman

"When I was in art school, I thought art was something I would learn how to do, and then I would just do it. At a certain point I realized that it wasn't going to work like that. Basically, I would have to start over every day and figure out what art was going to be." ~Bruce Nauman

For my Time-based artist, I chose Bruce Nauman, a contemporary artist who emerged in the 1960's.

To me, this quote from Bruce Nauman absolutely screams what I have been learning about myself as an artist lately!  High school was so focused on just meeting assignment requirements and never really thinking over ideas and searching for deeper meanings behind the intentions of the artist or what a piece could convey to the viewer.  This quote is perfection.  Every day that I walk into the studio I get to make the decision of what I am going to define as art that day and what I want to express through my work.  There's so much power in that!

I was instantly attracted to Bruce Nauman's work when I saw the performance video Walking in an Exaggerated Manner.  This is probably going to sound a bit weird, but while watching the video I felt sort of, well, physically attracted to him. His manner of walking was so simple and minimalistic, but it had this tone of just complete confidence!  He made me instantly think of the actor Sam Rockwell, who played in both Charlie's Angels (2000) and Iron Man 2.  Once again, I'm sure this all sounds odd!  But in both movies, Sam plays the bad guy, and he has this exaggerated strut that looks so arrogant, but you can't help but watch because he just seems so cool and confident.  I just love it!  When it comes to Bruce Nauman's body of work, I also really enjoy his I am a Fountain piece and his hand sculptures.  His photos of people pulling at their skin and making themselves look almost disfigured also intrigue me.  His Animal Pyramid is so beautiful to me as well.  For some reason I really love artwork that includes wild animals.  I think I enjoy the freedom and power that they convey.  Unfortunately, I'm not as fond of most of Bruce Nauman's neon works.  They're a bit too blatantly sexual for my taste. 

For my piece, I want to recreate his Walking in an Exaggerated Manner video.  I really want the sample simplistic vibe that his video has.  I will use my garage as the studio with its gray concrete floor and white garage door.  I will also prop up a frameless mirror that we have to expose to the viewer what may not be in the camera frame.  I will tape off a square on the floor with masking tape.  Also, I will probably wear something simple as well, such as black yoga pants and a loose neutral colored shirt.  After filming, I'd like to put a black and white filter on the piece.  My hope is to capture the same confident, thought out strut that he carries in his piece.