It is all about the medium.Without it, there is no object; there is no soul.
The main aim of this project was to, through the use of clay, represent a biomorphic structure with a distinctive and interesting texture. With this purpose, I intended to represent a human heart – the valve of every human’s life.
As the workshop began, the first attempt resulted in failure. The medium was too consistent to be molded with success in the time given, and its structure was too resistant to any changes in shape. On another note, and according to its producer’s description, this type of clay was intentionally made for large sculptures, which made it unviable for the purposed size. As a result, and after several attempts, the medium was changed for a softer type of clay. This new one had a greater plasticity, yet it was still consistent enough to hold the sculpture. Furthermore, its semi-hard resistance eased the introduction of texture, satisfying – as a result – one of the main goals of the class.
The final piece resulted in a 7 inches-tall sculpture of an organ that metaphorically alludes to the medium’s vulnerability: a human heart.
Like the clay, the heart begins to beat – and thus mold its shape – once it has been stimulated for the first time. The previously mentioned structure acquires its plasticity by the agency of the human blood running through its valves. Similarly, clay acquires its plasticity as a result of the water contained in its composition. Without water, the medium would become resistant to any change in shape or movement. Without blood, the human heart would be resistant to any beat.
Despite the fact that none of my classmates decided to mold a similar object, it is possible that memetics – the science of repetition – unconsciously influenced my choice of theme. While the students who sat on my left seemed to lean towards marine structures, those on my right appeared to rely on the human world. I, however, was sitting on the very middle of the class, finding a point of balance between both scenarios: the human and the animal world.
