PROJECT

The goal of this project was to illustrate the concept of growth or decay by creating a relationship (either symbiotic, parasitic or commensalism) between the paper structure and a found object.

CONCEPT

The concept for this project was to embody the concept of "engulf" as a parasitic relationship between the paper and the lamp base. The paper seems to be growing over and consuming the lamp rendering it incapable of holding a light bulb and fulfilling its normal function. The lamp appears to be fighting back but it's useless against such an overpowering entity. I used movement and texture within the piece to convey this message. The swooping S-shape of the paper structure moves the viewer's eye down and around the base of the lamp. The technique I used for folding the paper makes it look as big as possible and gives the piece an almost fuzzy texture like an animal or creature would have.

REFLECTION

This project was my introduction to sculpture and taught me valuable lessons about taking ownership over the materials I work with to change their form and the importance of continuity through a piece. Achieving the final texture shown above took hours of experimentation which I've found is an essential part of the creative process when working with new materials. I learned that a sculptor must understand the limits and capabilities of a material before starting on a concept. In regards to continuity, I learned that finding an interesting texture and repeating it throughout the sculpture can ultimately create more visual interest that having multiple competing textures throughout a piece. Overall,  this paper project was a great introductory project. The sculpture has found its permanent home in the Binghamton University Scholars Art Gallery located in the Rockefeller Building on Binghamton University's campus.