UWM Mixed Media
Exhibition Text
This piece is inspired by ‘Uteliggeren' by Arne Mæland and Paul Joyner’s ‘man sitting’. The sculpture signifies the neglect of returning veterans in the United States through various found objects. The purple heart wood is significant to the piece because it represents both honor within a military platform, and strength in a natural purple wood in itself.
Inspiration
I was inspired by Arne Maeland's 'Uteliggeren' because it was very similar as to what I was trying to portray with the veterans in America. There is a plaque in front of the bronze sculpture that reads 'Nobody is just what you see' and I found this quite inspiring. Maeland neglected to title the piece, and wanted viewers and tourists to experience and interpret the statue with free will. Previous to this project, I had made a wire sculpture in sophomore year, which I used to represent the neglected veteran. Paul Joyner created similar wire figures, like his wire sculpture 'man sitting'. Using the idea of the wire figure and the position of Maeland's sculpture.
|
The purple heart wood I had found in my fathers workshop plays an important role in the symbolic meaning of this piece. With such high military honor and the irony of the purple heart wood piece that the veteran is laying on, homeless, and struggling. I wanted to bring attention to the high honor the purple heart holds, and how neglected veterans are returning home. In order to represent the wire figure as a veteran, I put a camouflage jacket on the figure, to make the symbolic meaning more clear and literal, rather than a symbolic figure that could be mistaken for just a homeless man. This allows for the conclusions the viewer makes to be easily connected to veterans returning home to unfortunate circumstances.
Planning
I created a sketch with the dimensions of the wood panel, and all the materials and components I would need to complete it. After I had found the purple heart wood, I knew I would need to use the sander to make the surface more smooth, so that it not only looks nice, but also allows me to place all of my sculptural components on the wood without any type of complications. I wanted to cover the hole within the purple heart wood to create a city scene, like a type of drainage cover or sewer cover. This creates a more realistic picture.
|
I was initially wanting to make the figure out of clay instead, however, the wire sculpture was more flexible, allowing me to place the wire sculpture in the position in which I wanted. I was going to glue or nail down the metal components into the wood, however, it didn't work because the metal has too much moisture, that doesn't allow it to stay and stick onto the wood. The tacks were far too small to hold up the tent to the left of the wire figure, so instead I found a nail that I could hammer into the wood and then glue the fabric onto the top of the nail to make it stick. I also planned on sanding down the piece of wood and staining it to make it look nice and clean.
Process
1. I gathered all the materials I needed and set it all out on the table, within the picture are the several items I used in my sculptural piece or to make the components of the piece.
2. I had to sand the purple heart wood in order to make it more smooth and clean looking, allowing me to correct any blemishes the wood might have had, and round the edges to make the piece look presentable.
3. After sanding the wood, it had created a sort of pale dust on the top layer, so I applied some stain on the wood in order for its color to be restored and become more saturated and opaque, bringing out the purple within the natural wood, enhancing its undertones.
4. I had previously found a wire sculpture, which I experimented with a couple of positions to see how I wanted it placed for the final sculpture, originally I was going to have the sculpture in this sitting position, however, I decided to position it how Maeland had with his piece.
5. I then painted the wire sculpture a Crimson red, a navy or yale blue, and a daisy white to resemble America, and the veterans of the United States being neglected by the country they served to protect, I also ended up adding a jacket onto the piece and the bandana to represent the veteran, making it clear to the viewer that this piece is specifically relating to the veteran community.
6. I then had decided to create a lamp post that the sculpture was going to lay on in order to secure the wire figures back to prevent it from falling back, or becoming unstable, this way it provides stability to the figure.
7. After placing the wire figure into the correct position, and placing the tent on the left side of the sculpture, I had decided to tack down the figures hands, to both add security and symbolize obstacles restraining veterans from trying to move forward
Experimentation
I tried various positions for the wire figure, even replicating somewhat of Joyner's wire sculpture's pose, however, I was really inspired by Maeland, and decided to position the figure into a position that Maeland had used. Originally I was going to have the figure in a sitting position, but I felt that Maeland's position would be better for the piece when representing the veteran community, making the figure look more helpless and hopeless.
This project, I had to sand down the wood, which is something I haven't done. It was somewhat difficult, especially around the edges of the wood piece, because they were so defined and sharp. However, the more I did it, the more and more I learned technique and skill. |
Compare and Contrast
Similarities
Differences
|
Reflection
Overall, I am happy with the execution of my piece, it resembles veterans of America, who have fought to protect our country, only to come home to little to nothing. It is an unfortunate dynamic that has been an issue in the United States for a period of time. I feel that the purple heart wood is not only a symbolic feature, but a touching base reminding the veterans of the honor that they hold. It is quite ironic, the tacks are nailed into the purple heart wood (significant to the purple heart and its importance and honor) the one thing that carries such value, is the same thing holding the veteran back, preventing the veteran from moving forward. I wish that I had considered the weight and balance of the piece when adding the tent to the sculpture, just because it threw off the symmetrical balance and mass that the sculpture as a whole was carrying. However, after the critique, I did fix some things within my sculpture, like the green wrap around the figure, in order to try and make the idea and concept more concrete.
Changes Made from UWM Critique
Upon the critiques given, I had made some changes to my original idea in order to have my sculpture be more successful. Adding the green wrap with the bandanna better represents the veteran community in a clear coherent way. This allows for any misconceptions from the audience to become more clear. I also rephotographed my piece, adding a black background instead of the white one, because of the better contrast with the overall piece, and how the purpleheart wood stood out the most. Below is the before and after critiques of the piece.
Bibliography
User, Super. “Arne Maeland.” Sculpture in Cyprus, Association of Friends Fine Arts , 2018, www.sculptureincyprus.com/arne-maeland.
“Warwickshire Open Studios.” Edited by Warwickshire Opem Studios, Paul Joyner | Warwickshire Open Studios, 2016, www.warwickshireopenstudios.org/galleries/2018/paul-joyner.
“Warwickshire Open Studios.” Edited by Warwickshire Opem Studios, Paul Joyner | Warwickshire Open Studios, 2016, www.warwickshireopenstudios.org/galleries/2018/paul-joyner.