Sculptures of Spring '08

Emily Bzdyk

Project 1- Process
ARTIST RESEARCH

Four Corners is a structure built by Jackie Winsor in1972 from four wooden logs about two feet long notched to fit together at the corners. It is then bound withhemp twine unraveled from a rope which was bound carefully and repeatedly over a period of six months, four days a week. The emphasis of this piece is the repetitive process and the accumulation of the action of the wrapping which is shown in the end result. The effort of the wrapping is fore grounded rather than the physical result of the sculpture. Jackie Winsor found it essential to do all the labor herself, and used no preparations of sketches or models. This is one of a series of wood/hemp sculpture in which a lattice form of wood is enveloped by wrappings of twine which build and emphasize the connective intersections. The ritual and pre-industrial joining process of the wood with twine becomes the basis of the form and essence of the sculptures.

 

Tom Friedman  constructs his sculptures from household items such as soap, paper and pencils. This untitled piece is part of a series of works made from pencils in 1995. Also in this group were a long spiral of pencil shaving from a single pencil, and a circular pile of eraser shavings. The labor intensive quality and intricacy of tom Friedman’s work are what make them so intriguing. Carving tiny heads from aspirin and combining chewing gum into a giant perfect sphere display his devotion to detail and exploring the mundane objects of our lives to create something profoundly intriguing. The pencil works have a certain beauty because they are fascinating as works themselves, but they also explore such a common item and the time and intricate work that must have occurred to create them become a main aspect of the works. This ball of pencil sections is so convoluted and blob like, that if it were made of anything else, with any less attention to detail it would not be effective. It is the fact that it is pencils all stuck together with care that make this an exploration of meticulous process instead of just another form in sculpture.

Sources:

http://www.oberlin.edu/amam/Winsor_FourCorners.htm

www.pencilrevolution.com/2005/09/tom-friedman/