Friday, October 23, 2009

another friday :) 10.23.09

Did: I have probably spent at least 7 hours this week collecting plastic milk jugs, washing them out, cutting them up, and either hot glueing or sewing them together. Here is the result (excuse the bad photos, I will post better ones soon):




These pieces were strung together and are hanging in my studio right now:


I still feel pretty disorganized at this point due to the fact that this weekend I completely moved everything out of my parents old house (fun fall break, hah). But despite the chaos, I think I was fairly productive with the plastic shapes.

Discovered: Most of what I discovered this week really had to do with the material of plastic itself. I really like working with the plastic milk jugs. I think there is a LOT of potential for experimentation with this material and the best part is that it is free. I have been taking milk jug donations and I have also been going over to Beansters almost every day... they may think I'm crazy, but right now I'm happy because I don't really have to pay for materials :) Beansters has also been a great source for the plastic because the milk jugs aren't sitting around for very long so they don't smell like ones that have been sitting in recycle bins (NASTY).

I also love how the shapes I am making mimic so many natural forms. Cells, certain types of fungi, & coral all have the same circular or ovular shapes.

Do: Here is my tentative schedule until December review.

10.28: I want to take anything I have made so far from the plastic milk jugs and/or the plastic bags and take them to the pool to photograph... I found out Weds. night is a good night for experimenting with this.

11.17-19: Continue to MAKE things!! Complete an underwater photo shoot after making adjustments from what I learn during the 10.28 pool experiments.

12.15-16: For the review I want to have images from a larger scale underwater installation using my plastic sculptures. I want to incorporate my research into the presentation and more clearly define which information is the most influential to the work I am making.

I realize this is a really rough schedule... but I think it is hard for me to come up with a day-by-day plan... especially as I encounter problems or challenges. (i.e. cutting the plastic pieces is extremely time consuming) As I work, I will discover things that will influence the direction I take. Ultimately I would like to have a completed underwater installation to show at the review.


1 comment:

  1. Courtney

    Looks like a great experiment / exploration of making with the plastic. It's hard to see what this really is in the images, which is both intriguing and frustrating. I want to touch it. Something to think about in terms of your final piece perhaps...? Maybe you need to help us "feel" the material in the images, or perhaps couple the images with something we can actually feel? I too have microscopic associations -- cell structure, etc. which is wonderful, when I know that the actual object is a plastic jug. I get the most out of the work being aware of both the actual and metaphorical.

    Great progress given everything else going on for you. Keep going!

    Hannah

    I would recommend spending some time sooner rather than later to "more clearly define which information is the most influential to the work." A bit of a chicken and egg thing for you right now, but keep pushing at it from both directions.

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