Construction and Results

This is my lovely assistant Kristin. Without good reliable friends like her life would suck.

Finished construction end-on view. Best truck ever in background.

Here's the shadows I was hoping for. They look amazing.

My ridiculous paint scheme in response to the dullness of where it was to be installed...

The space...

Me explaining why it is how it is.

Final position looks way better in the space. It looks as if it's reaching toward the corners of the skylight.

Concept Stage

I first wanted to do an exaggerated drawing of the space just to get a feel for it.

 Then I started to think about the skylight above so I thought tree. This was folly...

Tree gets too conceptual so I looked at the space some more. The space is rectangular and tall and I wanted to work with the awareness of this. So I arrived at tower and decided to let the making begin.

Final Project

This was my aha moment. This project. Making sculpture that formally relates to to a space. The difference hit me: Place is what you make it and space is purely physical location. It's actually a difficult thing to completely dissociate from a place and view it as pure space.

Concepts

As promised, these are my original concept photos for the the first two projects. I unfortunately do not poses any photos of the finished history project. I wasn't that fond of the results anyway. It's all just proof that time, deadlines, and obligations can completely cripple ambition and craftsmanship. Not gonna let it bring me down.

Project 2 Historic Installation

At the turn of the 20th century, Tacoma was a shipping powerhouse. According to a Tacoma Daily Ledger of 1904, it was the fourth largest export port for wheat and the largest on the west coast. At the time, most grain goods that were sold in bulk to the public, were sold in burlap or woven bags. West Coast Grocery and Birmingham Hay & Seed were two large store houses for such things and would have contained large volumes of these bags filled with coffee and grains. Essentially these buildings were built on the foundation (metaphoric) of providing supplies. To represent this I propose to position concrete sculptures (in the shape of burlap bags) near the foundation (literal) of the WCG building.

Part 4: Finish and Wear

First to cross the finish line was the mask. I wanted it to have a dread skeletal look so that I could give it a human element.

Uncomfortable. With more work, look and comfort could get better. Perhaps when the class is finished I will return to the project. I feel it didn't blend well due to the sun bleaching of the armor's source bark. I am forced to conclude that this is not an ideal material and that no one should ever attempt it on a deadline.

Part 3: Building

 Tools:

Most important tools:

The material is cedar bark of varying sizes. It's easiest gathered from a tree that has been down for over sixth months. This stuff is hard to work with and falls apart easily.

I needed to employ massive amounts of wood glue, cardboard, cloth, Gorilla Glue, staples (small so as not to split the bark) and plumber's tape. Not my favorite or the best materials, but I don't have six months to do it right.

(ABOVE) Breast plate in process. Soak it in because I hate showing unfinished work and this is all the internet gets. By this point I hate the materials and my hands are cut to s***.

Planning

I have drawings. I swear. Printer won't scan.

Part 2: Planning and Material Gathering

Sorry for the low-res images. Taken on my phone. Tree supplied by Kyle Dillehay. I have my bark concept drawings to come.

Integrating Self part 1

My first place will be centered on this big ass lonely cedar near UWT. All my work lately has focused on non-living things so it's about time I work on the other half of my dual nature. I love the city, and I love my foresty origins. Which is probably the reason I feel bad for city trees. Yes they're nice don'y get me wrong but it's much like the caged animal at the zoo. No room to grow, idiots always taking pictures (this guy), and it can only really breed when the zookeeper (arborist) decides it's alright. I mean the good news is this strange cedar can try to pollinate from afar, but I've not seen many like it. The shape of the leaves are foreign to me. Perhaps it's native and all the ones I've seen are foreigners. More research is needed.

Space

Space:
1      : a period of time; also : its duration

2

a : a limited extent in one, two, or three dimensions :distance, area, volumeb : an extent set apart or available <parking space> <floorspace>c : the distance from other people or things that a person needs in order to remain comfortable <invading my personalspace>

3

: one of the degrees between or above or below the lines of a musical staff — compare line

4

a : a boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events occur and have relative position and direction<infinite space and time>b : physical space independent of what occupies it —called also absolute space

5

: the region beyond the earth's atmosphere or beyond the solar system

6

a : a blank area separating words or linesb : material used to produce such blank area; especially : a piece of type less than one en in width

-Taken from Merriam-Webster

Place

Place:
1   a : physical environment : space

b : a way for admission or transitc : physical surroundings : atmosphere

2

a : an indefinite region or expanse <all over the place>b : a building or locality used for a special purpose <a placeof learning> <a fine eating place>c archaic : the three-dimensional compass of a material object

3

a : a particular region, center of population, or location <a nice place to visit>b : a building, part of a building, or area occupied as a home<our summer place>

4

: a particular part of a surface or body : spot

5

: relative position in a scale or series: asa : position in a social scale <kept them in their place>b : a step in a sequence <in the first place, it's none of your business>c : a position at the conclusion of a competition <finished in last place>

6

a : a proper or designated niche or setting <the place of education in society>b : an appropriate moment or point <this is not the place to discuss compensation — Robert Moses>c : a distinct condition, position, or state of mind <the postfeminist generation is in a different place — Betty Friedan>

-Taken From Merriam-Webster