Space Research
In my Space Research course, I explored the creation and process behind sculptural artwork through month-long projects.
"Chair in Olive"
February 2025
Wood, metal, and acrylic paint
38x24x21"
From the inception of this idea to its progression and later finishing touches, several ideas stayed on my mind. These concepts included transformability as well as simplicity. These ideas harken back to militaristic furniture, which I reference by using color. I accomplished this design concept by beginning with a strong plan and keeping true to my concepts during the process. As I elaborate on in the ten book pages attached above, I made several crucial decisions when creating this chair.
"Memento Mori"
March 2025
Ice, henna, gold jewelry, plaster (Sculpture); time lapse (Video art); edited version of Early Chants of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church* (Audio art)
26 seconds (Duration); central sculptural piece is 7x3x3" with accessory sculptures ~2" each (Dimensions)
The trope of "Memento Mori" (Latin for "remember you will die") has influenced both Western art and values. The phrase and its representations signify that life is impermanent. My exploration of this concept, prompted by mold-making work, relied on temporary artistic mediums such as henna and ice to communicate this idea in a contemporary manner. Furthermore, henna is a decorative art associated with spirituality and religious holidays. The position of the central sculpture, cast from my own hands in prayer, speaks to the impermanence of the body. The presence of the church in the back of this time lapse, as well as the plaster finger sculptures placed architecturally commentate on institution's durability as well as the ability for such buildings and cities to turn to dust. Additionally, the gold necklace placed upon the sculpture has both a cross and icon of Mary and Jesus. I used this enduring material and symbol to connect my piece to another kind of genre painting, that being "vanitas". In this trope, faith is everlasting and the pursuit of pleasure and goods is futile. As this time lapse plays out, my hands in prayer go from recognizable to a husk, the necklace falls from its grasp, but some elements endure.
I would have been content to explore the mediums and subject matter in greater detail, as can be seen from my sketches below. Though I chose to keep the concept for this artwork relatively simple, I had many iterations that expand on both hands as a religious symbol as well as ephemerality as a concept. The process for "Memento Mori" involved casting my hands in alginate, pouring plaster into the mold, and then creating a silicone cast using the plaster sculpture. Finally, I froze water and henna in the silicone mold to produce my ice sculpture. When working with these mediums, I conducted experiments including applying henna to water at different states to determine how it would dissolve. Planning for the video portion included scouting the location and tending to both the time lapse and the dripping water, which felt very meditative, especially when across from a place of worship.
* The audio I appropriated and edited is "The Day of Judgement" by Chamber Music Ensemble Kukuzel, Lubomir Georgiew + Dimitar Dimitrov from the album Early Chants of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. I chose this Bulgarian religious hymn because of my artistic work's connection to my culture. Moreover, the Christian influence on this artwork and how we perceive death is palpable.
Warning: the content of these videos relates to disordered eating and body image, and contains chewing noises some viewers might find distressing.
"Gain (Parts I and II)"
April 2025
Video art, performance art, paper, paint on wood
5 minutes; 1 minute and 14 seconds
Per my research into body image as it correlates to media and entertainment led me to do performance art. I chewed up images relating to skinny boddies and spat them back out to fatten an armature. From this initial experimentation I created sculptures and a setting based on the theme of an amusement park dedicated to being skinny. My ideas are documented in my sketchbook entries, seen above.