Verisimilitude: “the appearance of being true or real.”
GOAL: explore the idea of Verisimilitude and what it might mean for a sculpture to be more, or less, ‘real’ or ‘true’
Day 1. ‘1 minute sculptures’ inspired by Erwin Wurm.
Eriwn Wurm
Erwin Wurm invited the public to preform the actions shown in his photos. These works explore space and how the subject/s interact with the environment. They also explore the relationship between human and objects.
“While the photograph is the enduring record of each composition, the work comprises the entirety of the performative process, which begins with Wurm delivering instructions, both written and pictorial, to the subject of the ‘sculpture’. The participant subsequently enacts the determined formation or action and maintains it for a period of sixty seconds, during which time the pose is photographed. In a complex work that explores interaction, activation and the temporal, Wurm employs the photographic medium as a means of cataloguing his ephemeral studies.” – Tate.org.uk
My interest in his work stems from the fact that the sculpture is so temporary and cannot exist outside of the sum of its parts. The object/s shape the pose, or the pose shapes the object.
My Work
These were my first attempts. The paper wouldn’t be on the wall without the model holding them there, and the model wouldn’t be posed like that without the paper.
I did these quick without thinking about object/person interaction or the space they were taken in.
After a class with James he suggested trying some two person poses and considering how the movement interacts with the space. I did some further research into Wurms work then tried some of my own.
Within my home space we had no plain/bare space so we went outside. The spot I picked was symmetrically patterned and allowed for a focus on the subjects.
After this series of experimentation and play I decided to utilise the garden. These next photos would have been more effective if i could remove the objects from the context.
My favourite is of my model ‘hung out to dry’ like laundry. I tried to channel Wurm in all my sculptures, but I’m not sure I considered the relationships enough. I could have taken my lack of plain backgrounds another way and made the backgrounds part of the sculpture instead of an afterthought. Furthermore, I could have been more creative with my objects and the object placement.
If we continue the ‘1 minute sculptures’ I will use these lessons I have learnt to develop my work.