INTRODUCTION
For our final project we were asked to design a memorial/memorialize something of our choosing. This vary from people, to events, to ideas — there was almost no limitations. However, we were asked to take in to consideration the location the memorial would be placed and the way in which people would engage with the memorial. I decided to memorialize something I feel closely related to, but that is still very relevant, especially in a cosmopolitan city like New York: international students.
DEVELOPMENT
After being proposed this project I thought long and hard what I would like to memorialize, and the implication of what memorializing that thing would have. I tried to pull something that related to me to some extent so I could be passionate, however I didn’t want anything so personal I wouldn’t be objective about the piece. I thought of what memorials had been made in the past, and immediately thought of the many immigrant memorials in New York. I thought of how so many people left their country looking for a better life here, all the families that came together, the workers that came alone, but a group of people I noticed were often forgotten were the students. Which is why when our seminar class read Persepolis the idea that people leave their country in search for education came to mind — which is how I got my idea.
(I came up with a second idea about film which is not as involved and interesting, I still proposed it however did not pick it)
I wanted to design a sculpture of sorts, yet I was still not satisfied with the appearance I proposed. I discussed the idea with my seminar teacher Ron and eventually decided to exchange the materials of the sculpture. I exchanged the plexiglass for a smooth mirror, and the shape of the form was further developed. Overall the idea was the exact same, however it was executed in a different way. Rather than stepping under the statue, one would look at themselves with the mirror — still reflecting. The new face shape and body also made the statue more androgynous. Bellow are my sketches.
Upon deciding on the new shape and material I needed to decided how I was going to propose this piece. I wanted to challenge myself by making a large plaster sculpture, something I had never done. I decided I would make a wire skeleton and use plaster cloths around it, later on smoothing the piece down by pouring liquid plaster and sanding it, so I could later on spray it with a mirror spray paint. I would presented with an image I had taken of my location as a background. It was a true mess (which is why I don’t have a lot of pictures of the process).
What I found was how difficult working with this new material was. I had a lot of fun for sure, but towards the end when I realized how complicated/impossible it was to smooth down plaster I began to resent my sculpture. I made the decision that there was not enough time to attempt to make it smooth, so I sanded down what I could and spray painted it. Bellow is what I presented at the critique.
CRITIQUE
I actually was very surprised with the responses. I got a lot of positive feedback, everyone thought the statue communicated nicely the idea I had, and that it resembled my sketches a lot. Some even said the texture added to the approachability of the statue. The only suggestion was to perhaps make the globe larger. Overall great! The proposal/pitch was also said to be clear and straight forward.
I tried to take in to consideration the suggestion to make the globe larger, however quickly realized that that wouldn’t be possible due to the shape the arm holding the globe was making. There was no space to make a larger sphere. I went to Blick in search of something to smooth the sculpture, but again. quickly found that this change would also require major reconstruction. I decided that the best thing I could do was nothing. If I tried to change anything it simply would not work, plaster is not very forgiving. I would need to build another sculpture with the new changes, and there was not enough time for that. For the final show I kept the statue the same (however changed the display around so it could be better viewed).
Overall, this project had a lot of ups and downs. I learned A LOT about working in 3D, sculpture work, and plaster. I feel as though it was very positive to make and have to be dedicated to a piece that I wasn’t aesthetically very involve with, I think it taught me a lot about resilience. I’m happy with my journey in this project, even if the final product is not my personal favorite.
