Unit 4 - Plush Concrete
Essential Question:
How does removing or changing the meaning of an object reflect or alter its importance?
How do artists use the contemporary principles of design, Hybridity or Appropriation, to communicate an idea?
How does removing or changing the meaning of an object reflect or alter its importance?
How do artists use the contemporary principles of design, Hybridity or Appropriation, to communicate an idea?
Appropration
Is it always appropriate to wear or illustrate aspects of another person's original culture?
Cultural appropriation, often framed as cultural misappropriation, is sometimes portrayed as harmful and is claimed to be a violation of the collective intellectual property rights of the originating culture.
When is it okay to appropriate?
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Hybrid Art Forms
Excerpt taken from schools.walkerart.org/arttoday/index.wac?id=2355 What is a hybrid? A hybrid means something of mixed origin or composition that adds variety or complexity to a system. In science, a hybrid is the offspring of genetically dissimilar plants or animals, especially produced by breeding or grafting different varieties or species. In language, a hybrid word is one whose elements are derived from different languages. In an automobile, a hybrid combines an electric motor with a gasoline engine. Given these definitions of the word hybrid, what would it mean to make a hybrid art form? In art forms, hybridity could mean the blurring of traditional distinct boundaries between artistic media such as painting, sculpture, film, performance, architecture, and dance. It also can mean cross-breeding art-making with other disciplines, such as natural and physical science, industry, technology, literature, popular culture, or philosophy. Hybrid art forms expand the possibilities for experimentation and innovation in contemporary art. Today’s artists are free to make art with whatever material or technique they can imagine. This freedom creates new opportunities to express ideas and concepts. It also opens up a number of challenges, choices, and decisions for artists: Should I work to master a traditional art form or should I work to create innovative new art forms? Or should I do both? Should I experiment with materials that are industrial or outside the scope of my studio if those materials seem to be the best way to express my artistic goals? How can I define myself as an artist if I am shifting, combining, and recombining techniques from inside and outside the worlds of art? Blurring boundaries, breaking rules, and creating hybrids occupies much artistic work today. However, making meaning in art—whatever tools, materials, or techniques are used—remains central to artistic practice. It is important for viewers to keep this in mind as they explore innovative art today. Why is it better to have variety and complexity in art? or life? Why is it good to experiment? What is the difference between the world of art and real life? |
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| Plush Concrete Project Investigation & Planning |
[Recycling, Construction, Engineering]
Ross Bonfanti
TIPS to start:
Seems simple enough, fill a stuffed toy with concrete, rip off the skin, all done... um----no. If students do not fill properly, then there were voids, breaks, crumbled parts, but these can be repaired, and made to be part of the creepy look of the sculpture. However; not all will be lost! We will embrace the ugliness!
Materials:
PROCESS
Part 1:
Part 2:
Create a wire armature: Coat hangers work well because of the gauge thickness.
Fill with cement: Prepare your area for cement. Use gloves as concrete is slightly caustic. Use bowls and wooden spoons to mix, and 4 oz. paint cups to measure. 4 level scoops of cement, and 2 not-quite full scoops of water seemed to do the trick. It should be creamy peanut-butter thick, not soupy, and not crumbly. A little moisture is okay.
Spoon or pour in the concrete into the fabric from the toy. Start with the feet and pack them well. Squeeze to feel if the cement is all the way in. Then pack the "butt" and be sure the bear/animal can sit. To lighted the sculpture, add a ball of foil to the belly. Surround the belly area with cement. Then, stuff the arms, and another ball of foil in the head surrounded with cement.
Some animal forms might slump under the weight of the concrete, so a sharpened dowel could be used to support the form. Let sculptures sit on plastic overnight with a fan on them.
Filling with cement can be done in 2 sessions; however, use toothpicks, wires, or some other material, so that new cement will stick better to old cement the next day.
Part 3:
Skinning the toys: The hardest part in some ways. Score the surface with a box cutter or a Dremel tool if available. Use caution with sharps. Sharps will also dull quickly and blades might need to be replaced frequently. Grip the fabric with a needle nose pliers and twist. Use razors to help cut around embedded eyes and nose. KEEP all skinning materials and allow animals to air dry a bit more.
Part 4:
Reconstruction: After the "skin" is removed, hopefully the cement will be intact. Consider using the "skin" fabric as accents or embellishments once the concrete is hardened and refined. Some sanding, filing, or removing of the concrete in general may be necessary. Add outside materials for embellishment and detail.
Ross Bonfanti
TIPS to start:
Seems simple enough, fill a stuffed toy with concrete, rip off the skin, all done... um----no. If students do not fill properly, then there were voids, breaks, crumbled parts, but these can be repaired, and made to be part of the creepy look of the sculpture. However; not all will be lost! We will embrace the ugliness!
Materials:
- Small to medium sized stuffed animal toy. 8 - 12 inches tall approx. Chubby limbs are IMPORTANT.
- Sand-mix Concrete or Quikrete Fiber-Reinforced Concrete, 60 lbs per (6 to 8 animals)
- (Adding foil to body and head will reduce weight and extend concrete but adds difficulty)
- Needle nose pliers, box cutters, scissors, (A Dremel Cutting Tool will be helpful)
- Wood spoons, mixing bowls
- Gloves (cement is a bit caustic)
- Assorted craft items for embellishment
- Hot glue
- Cement adhesive
- *Armature Wire (added into limbs will help keep it together if it cracks)
PROCESS
Part 1:
- Cut toys between the ears or up the back of the head with scissors. If hands cannot fit inside, cut a bit more.
- Remove stuffing, needle nose pliers will be helpful.
- Label toys with a name
Part 2:
Create a wire armature: Coat hangers work well because of the gauge thickness.
Fill with cement: Prepare your area for cement. Use gloves as concrete is slightly caustic. Use bowls and wooden spoons to mix, and 4 oz. paint cups to measure. 4 level scoops of cement, and 2 not-quite full scoops of water seemed to do the trick. It should be creamy peanut-butter thick, not soupy, and not crumbly. A little moisture is okay.
Spoon or pour in the concrete into the fabric from the toy. Start with the feet and pack them well. Squeeze to feel if the cement is all the way in. Then pack the "butt" and be sure the bear/animal can sit. To lighted the sculpture, add a ball of foil to the belly. Surround the belly area with cement. Then, stuff the arms, and another ball of foil in the head surrounded with cement.
Some animal forms might slump under the weight of the concrete, so a sharpened dowel could be used to support the form. Let sculptures sit on plastic overnight with a fan on them.
Filling with cement can be done in 2 sessions; however, use toothpicks, wires, or some other material, so that new cement will stick better to old cement the next day.
Part 3:
Skinning the toys: The hardest part in some ways. Score the surface with a box cutter or a Dremel tool if available. Use caution with sharps. Sharps will also dull quickly and blades might need to be replaced frequently. Grip the fabric with a needle nose pliers and twist. Use razors to help cut around embedded eyes and nose. KEEP all skinning materials and allow animals to air dry a bit more.
Part 4:
Reconstruction: After the "skin" is removed, hopefully the cement will be intact. Consider using the "skin" fabric as accents or embellishments once the concrete is hardened and refined. Some sanding, filing, or removing of the concrete in general may be necessary. Add outside materials for embellishment and detail.
