Emma, Author at Visual Arts

March 23, 2021March 23, 2021

Len Lye – Kinetic Sculpture

A big emphasis was put on the process of simply making through experimenting with a variety of materials, shapes and linear and planar elements when creating our sculptures. Following this process I ended up with the self deemed, unfinished sculpture shown in figure 1. However, my lecturer Dr. James Charlton, introduced me to the works of New Zealand artist, Len Lye.

As shown in the video above of Len Lye’s kinetic sculpture, my sculpture had a significant resemblance to his works. This got me thinking about how I could incorporate movement and kinetic energy into my own works. Obviously, I do not have the equipment to create mechanical pieces like Lye’s. However, I am able to make my pieces interactive with the viewer by converting weight and force into kinetic energy.

For this piece above, I combined the weight and density of the plaster moulds with the flexibility of the metal sheet from my sculpture above, to create a kinetic sculpture of my own. Unlike Len Lye’s piece which uses automatic mechanisms to create movement, my piece requires physical force to press down on the plaster mould and allow the metal to spring back up. This creates the bouncing effect.

The collaboration of weight and flexibility creates movement as well as a sense of balance. Without the use of force, the piece sits still, the heavier mould allowing the metal sheet and smaller mould to stay suspended in space. However, in this position, the metal bends downwards serving as a reminder of the weight of the plaster mould sitting on the end.

March 23, 2021March 23, 2021

Entopic Graphomania

Entopic Graphomania is a drawing method in which a set of rules and logic are used to apply dots, which are joined together using lines. In Figure 1 above, I used the method of circling names of people and places to create points on the page of an old book. At first I connected the circles together with a total of three lines. However, dissatisfied with the outcome, I increased the number of lines until I had created a web like image.

Figure 2 resulted from me tracing the dots of the Entopic Graphomania from figure 1. From there, as shown in figure 3, I used the new rule of dotting every word that started with ‘e’. From there, I proceeded to connect the new dots with the traced dots from figure 1. This created a more complex web of lines that created a sense of depth.

This task helped me to understand how rules and logic determined by elements in the materials, can be used as a method of creating art. This allows the materials to evolve in a calculated way.

March 10, 2021March 10, 2021

Mata Aho Collective & Maureen Lander, Atapō

*Maureen Lander, Atopō, 2020, mixed medium, Auckland Art Gallery, Auckland*

When first approaching this piece after only seeing it in photos, I was daunted by its sheer size and physical presence. The gallery’s white interior accentuated the piece’s contrasting dark, deep mass making it very prominent in the space it occupied.

Maureen Lander, *Atopō*, 2020, mixed medium, Auckland Art Gallery, Auckland

The layering of the mesh became more apparent closer to the piece. The individual sheets of mesh began to separate emphasising its depth but also its transparency. I felt like I could easily walk straight through it. It fascinated me that Lander was able to create such a dark, dense mass through such thin sheets of mesh. Lander’s use of negative space to imply a mass or light occupying the centre of the piece also stood out to me. By cutting diamonds decreasing in size with each layer, she created a sense of mass. The relationship between the diamonds and the dark layered mesh gave the effect of a light piercing through the dark. Incidentally, as I got closer to the piece I felt more vulnerable as its height loomed over me.
In relation to this week’s brief, ‘A weight off your mind’, Landers artwork helped me to understand how collaborations of two forms like the dark layered mesh and diamond cut outs, can work together to define mass and volume.

Israel Tangaroa Birch, *Arai-te-uru*, 2011, spray lacquered stainless steel, Auckland Art Gallery, Auckland.

This piece by Israel Tangaroa Birch, stood out to me as it illuminated the centre of an otherwise very dark space. I was challenged by Birch’s use of continuous rows of triangular prisms to give the piece a liquid, flowing affect even though the sharp edges of the piece as well as the material used should imply that it is a heavy solid. This helped me to understand that by repeating a shape or form you are able to change how its density and state are perceived.

March 9, 2021March 15, 2021

By Implication – After Atapō

I started this piece out by creating the organic shape in the centre which incurved to create a bowl-like form. With this I inserted the longest rectangular prism so that it both entered and exited the deepest part of concave shape. For balance I added the second rectangular prism at an adjacent angle. This time however cutting it short and make it finish as it enters the shape’s curve. The collaboration between the organic central shape and the rigid, sturdy beams conveyed ideas about liquids and solids and the interactions between these states. The solid beams are easily able to pass through the fluidity of the organic shape. The rope was initially used to preserve the bowl shape of the central piece. However, it also mimicked the triangular shape made by the beams, but slightly disjointed giving the piece an overall sense of balance between linear and planar elements.

This piece had a similar concept to the piece above about the relationship between ridged solids and fluid like curves. The curved piece twists around organically, softening out the harsh linearity created by the central beam. The flat cylinder base serves as a combination of the two beams. Although circles have soft curved edges, like the twisted piece, they are still inorganic shapes due to their geometric perfectness like the rectangular beam.

This piece challenged my perceptions about weight in relation to space occupied by shapes. If I were to put these two cubes side by side, the solid cube would appear ‘heavier’ solely because it takes up more physical space than the cube made up of only edges. However, the ‘invisible’ cube is able to fully support the solid cube’s weight serving as a reminder that fullness doesn’t necessarily equate to weight.

The wire is bent to resemble the symbol for infinity. However, ideas surrounding the concept of infinity are obscured by the rope wound around the centre. Although the idea of infinity is literally limitless, the ropes act as a sort of metaphorical barrier, restricting ideas about infiniteness that would come from just the wire alone. This helped me to realise that the tension of rope, as well as how it is wound is an important factor to remember as it can change how a piece is perceived through its restrictive conceptual qualities.

This piece is very organic in appearance as there is no linearity or rigidness. The two smaller replicas that come off the main body of the piece, made the sculpture appear to be actively growing like a living organism.

At first I found this week’s task of creating drawings-in-space quite a challenge. I often approach my works with thorough planning and a clear picture of the result in mind. However, once I started and attempted to put away my inner critic I found myself beginning to really enjoy the process of just making shapes. Without planning ahead the art almost began to make itself as I adapted my sculptures as I went. I experimented with different linear and planar forms and worked them together bit by bit.

March 3, 2021