Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Art and the Body Assignment
Basic Sculpture ARS 270
12:15–2:55 & 3:05–5:45 M &TH
Keith Hoyt Adjunct
Professor of Art
Office Hours: Wed. 11:00- 2:00 and by appointment.
Office: (845) 257-3826 x2
Mobile: (845) 399-2885
Casting and Mold-Making
Assignment
Object and the Body
The figure is perhaps one of the most referenced and familiar
subjects in art. From the Venus of Willendorf (2400 BCE) to Oliver
Herring’s Gloria 2004 artists have
been representing, abstracting and manipulating the image of the human figure.
This assignment
is concerned with how you will approach the body in a three dimensional
context. The methods you will employ
will range from life casting using Alginate, a life casting material developed
for the dental industry. Alginate is
hypoallergenic and very safe to use.
Alginate can replicate the finest detail including fingerprints. You will be provided enough alginate to make
a mold of two small body parts a hand or foot or ear for example or a larger
part your face perhaps. If you wish to
work on a larger part or section of the body you may purchase additional
alginate. The second part of the
assignment will be to cast a positive pattern from your mold and then make a
plaster mold of this pattern. Alginate
molds are too weak to make more than one positive from so a stronger mold is
needed to produce multiples. From your
plaster mold you may make parts from many different materials. We will make
parts using slip cast ceramic. Slip is inexpensive and an easily cast material
that can make exact duplicates that can be fired as is or manipulated while in
its green state before it becomes bone dry.
You will be required to make 20 slip casts of the body part or parts you
have chosen to replicate.
The parts you have cast will be used as a raw material.
You may use them as is or modify and manipulate them as you see
fit. Consider how these parts will engage
the viewer. How will you display the
work? What other elements can you
combine with your body parts? Will this
be an object, part of an installation or performance? The conceptual direction
the work will take is up to you.
Before you begin you must produce 10 sketches defining the
direction of this piece.
Objectives:
Make an Alginate mold of one or more body parts.
Make a plaster positive of your body part from the alginate mold.
Make a plaster mold for slip casting from your plaster body part.
Cast a minimum of 20 slip casts from your mold.
Manipulate, reconfigure or deconstruct your parts.
Assemble them into an object or installation or performance or…………
Sunday, April 22, 2012
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