Sculpture Studio Portfolio (SP10)

Project 1: Process

To explore a work about process, I wanted to experiment with a specific material: fishing line, because it has interesting qualities, both in that it is almost transparent and that it is pliable, yet it retains a certain rigidity, unlike cotton thread or string. I was principally interested in creating a sculpture that included a massive amount of fishing line to see how it would make a form, whether it would all conform to one shape, becoming solid-like, or if each strand would situate itself in a certain direction, etc. (I am more interested in the initial response to the piece being from the material itself—the actual labor that it took to create it would be secondary.) This material exploration would have certain qualities found in other work, such as by Tara Donovan, with the idea of the repetition of an object to create a form, but would turn out to be less methodical.

I chose to work with a tightly knit wire mesh because its structure would provide spaces to tie on strands of fishing line. After I created the “3” shape out of the mesh and attached it vertically to a wire and base, I began the task of tying each piece of fishing line on to the mesh. I tied a small white bead onto the end of each piece of line to provide a clear end point for the eye to find, both to prevent the line from looking like a huge undefined jumble and to make the number of strands more recognizable. I quickly discovered after tying an amount that made up a small 2x1 inch rectangle of mesh that each curly strand would take on its own direction, becoming a very tangled mass where the beads looked like a collection of stars. After tying more in four other spots of the “3” shape mesh, the fishing line formed tangles hovering anywhere from an inch to four inches from the mesh.

The sculpture definitely succeeds in my goal: the fishing line strands massed together create a very distinct form, both because of its transparency and shine and because of its rigidity. The white beads at each end not only add an aesthetic appeal, but also help the eye see the end of each strand and realize the number of pieces all together. Fortunately, the thinness and shine of the mesh proved to compliment the appearance of the fishing line, instead of overshadowing it since the line is such a delicate material. But, to improve the piece, not only would I add at least six more inches to its height to give the material an even greater presence, but I would decrease the thickness of the mesh structure to three inches at most to become more ribbon-like and go better with the characteristics of the thin fishing line.

IMAGES COPYRIGHT CAITIE HARRIGAN