Advanced Sculpture, 2014

Project 1: Process

Kristin Seymour
Intention Statement: Process Art
Bark Box

            For this particular Process sculpture I chose to use plywood and a few electric tools to create my work. My overall main intentions for this work were to emphasize the inherent nature of my materials and tools (electric grinding tools, my hands and wood).
            As I learned through while process art, the goal of many process art pieces is to show the artist’s mark, to create a work based solely off the functions of the materials chosen and/or to allow the piece to appear unfinished and rough as if it were incomplete and the artist could keep working on it any minute. My first intention was to show the artist’s mark and movement in the piece and to create a texture that engages the viewer’s tactile sense. I wanted viewers to run their hands on the piece and to mock the movements of the artist, in a way becoming the artist and making the piece be in the present, not in the past. This was very evident and successful within the first minute of showing the piece because a viewer immediately was motioning and asked if she could touch the piece. Within seconds multiple viewers were running their hands harmonious with the marks in the wood mocking my movements while making the piece. I also intended from the start to limit myself to a set of tools and not stray from them. I restricted myself to one large grinding tool that defined the marks to be made. I could not make sharp corners or sharp marks. The marks made could be no smaller than the grinder and could not be produced in a way that was not natural to the grinder’s functions. I chose to make rules for my work and myself in order to respect my goals and the intentions of the process art piece.
 Much like Tara Donovan or Richard Serra, I allowed the material to determine the aesthetics and presentation of the piece. Donovan allowed the physical qualities of her Styrofoam cups and plastic straws to determine the end effect of her pieces. She emphasized the physical angles and curves of her materials to create an aesthetically pleasing work. Serra used the physical properties of lead to determine the end product of his pieces. The density and roughness of his materials controlled the look of his work. My intentions were to accentuate the natural textures, colors and properties of the plywood I chose. I allowed the natural colors of the layered plywood to show as well as catering to the unique properties that I found in the wood as I grinded. While working knots in the wood would appear and I would tailor my grinding motions to show the knots in the wood. I did not hide the “imperfections” in the wood; I emphasized them more. I also chose to create a work that allowed the interior wood to be untouched. The choice of having the interior surface of the open-faced box be untouched was crucial to my process art intentions. In process art there is a tendency to show the original source material or to stop the work in the middle of creation to show a present time piece. By showing the original face of the wood, I am showing the viewers where the piece came from and on the exterior, where it “finished”. This choice followed my intentions of allowing viewers to analyze where the piece came from and where it currently is.
For the most part I achieved all my goals for the piece. The interactivity aspect was fully achieved right in front of me. Through the critique I realized that my intentions were clear to viewers and that the piece was enjoyable. I did not intend for the cube shape to be read by viewers in the way it was. I chose a cube shape because I was referencing an industrial/human made shape not found in nature. Viewers saw the cube as a neutral shape, which allowed for the viewers to focus more on he grinded design rather than the three-dimensional form. Viewers found it relaxing to stare at and wanted to move around it in all directions. I also was not expecting for viewers to want to turn the piece on its side, allowing them to look through the work while hiding one side. Therefore, I think the weakest part of my piece was the presentation of it. I put myself in a box and thought of it being presented only in one orientation. Yet, through interaction with viewers I learned that I should test new methods of presentation.