In this assignment, our professor assigned us to build our selected pair of shoes out of different gauges of wire. We also got assigned to properly display our skills of working with wire by making strong connections and bending the wire accordingly. In this process, we made a series of drawings of our selected object which provided a template to guide us. After completing the sculpture we were asked to document it properly and display it as LP posts.
Why did I choose this particular shoe?
This boot is one of the most basic but equally valuable items in my collection. I purchased it back in the early days of high school to enhance my self-confidence while stepping out of my comfort zone. With its tall neck, high platform, and solid black appearance, this shoe possesses the infinite power of feeding my self-esteem even in the worst of times. I would name this culture as “The Ones Who Stepped Out.” I pictured this community full of brave people who loves to challenge the boundaries by stepping out of their comfort zones. However, they are still in need of an object that could potentially create a sense of confidence and safety even in the darkest times. I selected this particular pair of boots to be a mascot for this culture because of its fashionable yet aggressive appearance. Its high platform and shiny outer surface bring a dominant feeling to it which provides a sense of emotional comfort that reminds the person of his/ her comfort zone. My detailed shot focuses on the gigantic platform of the shoe. I decided to highlight its iconic sole because, back in the day, my height was the biggest insecurity of mine. With its thick sole, it provided me a sense of confidence. It also pushed me to develop self-love and to embrace every single feature of myself.
What is culture?
I believe that culture is the collection of shared values that brings a group of people together with common intentions and interests. Culture possesses the power of creating communities with differing them from the general public. Culture can also be defined as a group of people with similar perspectives towards life and experienced similar conditions that made them end up in similar positions in life. These shared values can be shaped around beliefs, religion, language, geographic location, nationality, ethnicity, taste in arts, or political opinion. These traits and values separate the individual from society and gather a community that celebrates their uniqueness. Here people, because they share the same values, can safely display their authentic forms and cast a protection chamber towards people who have thoughts and expenses that might be conflicting with the core values/ intentions of this culture.
Creating my mind map made me extensively analyze the concept of values that shape our culture. I figured out that we tend to voluntarily adopt some of our core values from our family structure, nationality, and the geography we were born into. However, we also construct values according to the choices we made in our life and our character development that 100% shapes according to our intention. Either way, these values help society build cultures by bringing people who share similar visions. From my point of view, my culture forms around my taste in art, political opinions, insecurities, hobbies, habits, contemplative practices, choice of religion, and the geography I was born into. I also think that people who share the same culture tend to be more understanding of the issues they face with. For example, the pressure I feel as a young artist in a country that actively tries to cancel every form of art can only be understood by a fellow Turkish artist. I also figured out that people who share the same culture are the best support systems whenever you face a problem related to your uniqueness. This fact made me recall the time when I first left my home to study in NYC. I immediately felt homesick and faced a culture shock. Still, one of my classmates that just overcame this problem helped me recover. Even though we had different nationalities, we managed to connect as foreigners and helped each other solve this issue.
To sum up, according to my points, I support that culture is beyond nationality. It originates from being able to relate to others’ problems and having the same vision towards the world. Culture is also something we can choose by deciding where to live or the community in which we take part.
The Shoe
Image of the shoe from right side elevation with a ruler:
The Drawings
Finished contour drawing:
Cross contour right side elevation with a ruler:
Finished cross contour Orthographic drawing:
The Practice Wire Structure
The Wire Sculpture
Full wire sculpture from two different views:
First View:
(UPDATED Version)
Second View:
(UPDATED Version)
Detail view of the wire sculpture:
Reflection Questions
-
Reflect on what your object choice might say about your cultural identity; how, as a functional object, does your object facilitate participation in a community of shared culture?
I would name my focused culture “The Ones Who Stepped Out.” I pictured this community full of brave people who love to challenge their boundaries by stepping out of their comfort zones. However, they are still in need of an object that could create some sense of confidence and safety even in the darkest times. I selected this particular pair of boots to be a mascot for this culture because of its fashionable yet aggressive appearance.
I purchased this boot back in the early days of high school to enhance my self-confidence while stepping out of my comfort zone. Its high platform and shiny outer surface bring a dominant feeling to it, which provides me a sense of emotional comfort. It also pushed me to develop self-love and to embrace every single feature of myself.
-
Describe the general character and specific design features that led you to choose the object you chose to work with.
The main design element of the boot that enchanted me in the first place was its heavy and bulky platform. With its rich jet-black color and unusual height, it portrays a signature image. Also, the sole of the shoe possesses an aggressive and protective energy, almost like a guardian. Other than the boot’s sole, the wrinkles of the shoe inspired me to work with it. Even in the project’s first steps, I knew that its wrinkles and some distressed portions of the leather would be great hints for me to show the objects voluminous nature to the audience successfully. Besides its materialistic properties, its historical value also pushed me to work with it.
-
Evaluate how you met the assignment objectives by describing the line quality or qualities, and character used in your sculpture. Be specific, especially in explaining your strategy for employing cross contour to create structure. Discuss how you made decisions about how to use line direction/orientation, thickness, character, metal/color, and how you laid out connections in your design.
I succeeded in meeting the assignment’s objectives by drawing out a visual template beforehand. Creating this guide encouraged me to plan and see the main contours, cross contours, and line variation. When I finally moved on to constructing the sculpture, I decided to use a thicker gauge wire to sculpt to the outer shell of the shoe and its main contours. Then I used a higher gauge to add cross contours. Here I preferred using a slimmer type wire not to overshine the primary contour of the sculpture. Rather than placing them straight and homogenously, I formed them wavy and clustered in some places to reflect the shoe’s distorted shape. I also preferred to choose metal wires rather than aluminum ones to prevent unwanted bendings. I mainly followed a monochromatic style; however, after the critique, I decided to use chopper wire to portray the stitches by creating a contrast.
-
Describe what linear material besides wire you chose to include in your sculpture, and why you chose that material. If you only used wire, explain why you did not choose to include another material.
Besides wire, I decided to use a rope to add more detail to my shoe. Once I was done with my sculpture, I noticed that I was still in need of an additional piece of material to create a sense that it is a boot. I planned to incorporate rope to better show the characteristic of the shoe as a sturdy boot. I used a rope with a bigger diameter than a typical shoelace because boots like mine typically have more bulky and bold laces. It perfectly fitted the holes that I have constructed for them, and I tied it accordingly. After completing the composition, I can say that I am delighted with the way it turned out.
-
Describe something you would do differently if you could make your sculpture again or something that you improved if you continued to work on it.
In the class critique, my professor and classmates warned me about the rope that I used to symbolize the shoe’s stitching. They showed their concerns about the fact that this detail causes a distraction which shadows the initial form of the sculpture. This past week worked on this issue and decided to remove the rope. Instead of using that, I chose to use the copper wire by tightly wrapping it across the sole. This way, I intended to reach my goal of portraying the contrasting color of the stitches without causing any distraction.
Moreover, my professor commented on the fact that the sculpture does not have a footbed. Throughout the week, I meditated on this idea and agreed with the fact that creating a footbed will better portray the mass of the shoe and make it appear even more wearable. So I added horizontal lines at the area where the fabric of the shoe meets with the sole.
-
Identify an aspect of your work that is particularly strong.
From my point of view, the sculpture succeeds in portraying the voluminous form of the actual boot. The sculpture manages to keep the volume in by its strategically formed composition created by cross contours, using different wire gauges and contrasting colors. Another particularly strong aspect of the sculpture would be the craftsmanship I performed to create the shoe’s eyelets. I decided to create these holes by spiraling the wire across the primary contour of the shoe. To sum up, from my point of view, these two details made the sculpture appear even more realistic.
