Integrative Studio 1: Composite Portrait (Dollhouse)

In Progress:

1. We were assigned to create a composite portrait that represented each of our individual personalities in one piece. We had decided upon creating a doll house because this allowed us to divide each story of the home evenly and allowed us to work separately on our own space. In the end, we were able to stack our own pieces on top of the other to complete the dollhouse. The concept of a dollhouse first came about when talking about the different personalities within the group. We each wanted to showcase ourselves in the art we create and we thought that creating a “home” would be good representation of who we are in its entirety. For my room, the concept behind originated from playing with the term “dream house” as it is typically used to describe one’s ideal living space, however I wanted to expand on the term and create a space that was inspired by my dreams. My room is very nature oriented because I believe that to be very representative of myself. I enjoy nature and spending time outdoors and so, the idea of a treehouse began to form. I created a tree as the focal point and slowly placed other miscellaneous objects around it. Slowly, but surely, the conceptualization of my dreams started to form.

2.  We met up together to begin building the structure of the house and ensure that it was divided evenly by creating three rectangular box like structures. We used foam board for the entire structure because it is a sturdy material to hold itself and the items that we would place inside of it. From there, we worked on the inside of our boxes on our own. For my piece, I collected materials from my home among a few other found materials. I used many household items including cardboard, skewers, mops, wire, plastic bags, cork, and newspaper among many others, and repurposed them to give it new meaning. Eventually these items took on an entirely different role in my room than that of reality.

3. The composite portrait serves as an interview of my peers because although each of our rooms are different, it is a very accurate representation of our individual personalities. Because they are all so unique, when we stacked our boxes on top of the other, it definitely completed the entire dollhouse and showcased our identities.

4. We each interpreted our rooms in a different way. I took a more abstract approach, while my partners were more literal, however it was very interesting to see some similarities in own rooms when we presented the final product. We were very open to one another’s styles and wanted to showcase every individual identity when the rooms came together to form the structure. We all explored working with several new and different media and using non conventional methods to create an artwork. For the most part, we stuck to the initial plan by creating a dollhouse, but we were unable to create a roof because of time constraints.

5. I learned a lot about myself during the creative process of this piece. Often when I create art, I make decisions as I work and so, it becomes a very spontaneous process. In this specific piece, I was aware of the materials I wanted to work with, but because there were so many of them, I wasn’t sure where I wanted to place them, or what I wanted each item to become. In that sense, I realize now that I reflect on myself and my work quite  frequently during the process of creating and I would often become inspired by new ideas and concepts as I progress. This piece definitely allowed me to grow as an artist as I feel that I am developing my style further with everything I create. In addition, this is also my first time collaborating in art and I learned a lot about everybody’s different styles and working to combine them into one piece. I learned that I am a very messy and abstract artist, while my partners are more organized and literal in their respective styles.

6. We mainly focused on using the 15 words and and the “Talking Pictures” exhibit. The 15 words helped a lot when deciding how I wanted to portray the aesthetic of my room. I used some of the words to generate ideas that would appeal to myself and further helped in deciding upon different forms and structures within m room. Some of the words include “messy”, “passionate”, and “creative”. Moreover, the “Talking Pictures” exhibit was very inspiring because we were able to see how different artists were able to collaborate and communicate through their art despite the physical boundaries and contrasting backgrounds. It was interesting to consider certain aspects of our styles when collaborating on a project similar to the artists featured in the exhibit.

7. The critiques played a part in the assignment because it helped us clarify some of the questions we had in regard to the exterior of the dollhouse, for example. We were unsure of how we wanted to complete the outside and had contemplated adding type to it, however someone suggested that a plain exterior would be most effective. We ended up following that suggestion and I think that although it is the most simple route, it worked well with the entire house, considering the intricacies and details within each of the rooms.

Final:

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