Category: Research Binder

1. Choose, Consider, and Clarify your Topic (200 words)

The phenomenon I want to focus on will either be The Creation of Adam or the human skull with the brain exposed, drawing inspiration from Da Vinci’s drawings of the skeletal system. As a Biomedical Engineering student, I have always been drawn to the human body and why it functions the way that it does. Making a piece focusing on the skull and brain directly ties into that curiosity. I want to use some of Da Vinci’s sketches of human anatomy as a foundation and reference for my work because he too was curious about the human body and how it worked. He is a prime example of the intersection of art and science. He also believed that the skull, specifically the area behind the center of the frontal bone, was where the soul presided. If I go with this idea, I want to work off of the uniqueness of the soul and how it interacts with the mind. My other idea for this project, The Creation of Adam, would be focused around the hands in the painting. I want to play with the idea of community and how relationships, in any respect, between people aren’t guaranteed. Sometimes, you’re just in the right place at the right time to meet someone that will alter your life forever. Sometimes, you’re only friends with someone for a short window of time in your life, and sometimes, you live beside one person for your entire life. Human connection is needed for survival, but there’s no blueprint for how to connect with one another; we just sort of do it continuously throughout our lives. I want to work with the painting, how they are almost touching, but aren’t quiet. I don’t really know who the audience for my piece will be yet, but I’ll figure it out as I start making it.

2. Visual Research

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vQNKMxQjqQqDBpedGTrl6F_-mkeWbA4khWLHwodkxfM/edit?tab=t.0

3. Borrow a Strategy

Wooden Skull Carving by Cody Bader

I think I might use the idea of the holes at the top of the head in my piece to show deterioration or the breaking/tearing of the skull.

4. Create Sketches (5 Sketches)

1. Choose, consider, and clarify your topic

For my project, I’d like to focus my shrine on stability/self-actualized fulfillment. I want to honor an ability that I’ve personally built extensively in myself; the ability to construct the peace that I desire in my own life and therefore true fulfillment. I’d like to highlight my own presence in the piece, perhaps including a body part to personalize the piece or add a personal metaphor. How exactly I depict the actual phenomenon/ability can differ greatly, as I explore in my sketches. For example, stability could be shown through the grounding of objects, sewn down with wire or nailed down to wood, or the use of hands could emphasize my relationship with the concepts of self-actualization. Although the subject matter is very personal to me, I aim to create physical metaphors that any audience could understand related in some way to stability and self-control. The piece will be a clear representation, a shrine to a concept that can easily be extrapolated from simply viewing. It will stand, not necessarily to inspire, but to prove its existence to itself. I’d like to make the sculpture quite large and intricate to emphasize the power that comes from adopting these skills in one’s own life, as I have in mine.

2. visual research

3.  Borrow a strategy

Auguste Rodin, La Cathédrale (The Cathedral)

I intend to use the form of two intertwining hands in my own piece, highlighting the dance the appendages do with each other to create a satisfying composition.

4. Create sketches 

1.

For my shrine project I want to make a shrine about the importance of farmers. My grandfather was a farmer and he had a huge impact on me. I want there to be some aspect of his personal importance to me in the project, but I also want to remind people how important farmers are in general. Some thoughts I had was a tractor as a centerpiece, with crops and/or cattle around it. My original thought is to have the tractor made of metal, with the crops made out of wood. It’s something I need to do more research/brainstorming on, but I do know I want to somehow incorporate honeysuckles into the project as a tie to my grandfather.

2. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1R-djVU9nW_XM7fuMC_S7zPM-u0TPotDCEaOsf7iLD78/edit?usp=sharing

3.

James E. Hazeley, Ruby Throated Hummingbird

One of the most important part of my piece is the honeysuckle. It’s an important symbol that reminds me of my grandfather. I want to do it correctly, specifically its vines and have it wrap around my sculpture.

4.

My shrine will focus on the U.S. National Parks and their significance.  The National Parks are very important to me, because I used to visit some of them with my family, and have a goal to visit every U.S. National Park at some point in my life.  In addition, I think the preservation of natural landscapes and ecosystems is extremely important and should be given a higher priority than it currently is.  In the design of my shrine, I want to highlight where the national parks are, as well as the threat they are currently under.  To physically represent this, I will likely make a map of the United States, then have raised areas where the National Parks are.  To demonstrate their threatened status, I may make them look as if they are bleeding.  I want to make this shrine to remind myself and others of the importance of the National Parks, and the dangers of current political factions attempting to destroy these natural landmarks for the sake of money and oil.

Dina Wind

See-Saw, 1989

I chose this piece because I will be borrowing the idea of a see-saw for my work.

Children once experience the world with endless curiosity and imagination, where even the simplest moments hold magic. As we grow, however, that sense of wonder is often overshadowed by the weight of responsibilities and routines. I often think back to my own childhood, when creativity flowed freely and playfulness was encouraged. This creation is a tribute to that lost freedom, a reminder of the importance of holding on to the playful spirit even as life grows more complex.

This piece will embody the shifting balance between childhood joy and the burdens of adulthood. The contrast between lightness and weight, movement and stillness, speaks to the gradual fading of imagination and how responsibilities erode creativity. The audience will be encouraged to reflect on the balance between work and play in their own lives, reconnecting with the joy and curiosity of their younger selves.

I am interested in creating a shrine that showcases the power of natural forces through having a person being struck by lighting. This is important to me because humans dominate the planet, claiming territories, shaping the landscapes, and destroying natural habitats in attempts to take over Earth. The only thing that people can’t control is nature itself. The weather is unpredictable and uncontrollable beyond our control. To physically represent this I would create a human figure on their hands and knees with a lighting bolt emerging from their back. I think it would be interesting to design the bolt to fit into the back of the person, putting indents in the human’s back so the bolt fits like a puzzle piece into it. I would hope to be able to execute this to highlight that there are natural forces greater than humans no matter how much control we believe we have. The audience for this piece is meant for everyone, as a reminder that nature dominates the world around us.

Borrow Strategy:

Lorenzo Quinn, The Force of Nature, 2008

In this piece the artist does a great job accurately depicting the autonomy of a person and makes it feel like this woman is truly struggling to pull the ball. I want to try and create this type of effect in my piece.

I would like for my phenomenon to focus on the belief in cryptids/cryptozoology with a particular focus on mothman. This phenomenon is important to me because the world often feels like it isn’t filled with whimsy in the way I want it to be. The world is scary and awful sometimes, and while I think some cryptid stories are scary, there is a certain whimsy to them. To me, it’s really exciting and fun to think about the possibility of creatures we can’t understand being real, and that cold hard science can’t account for its paranormalcy. On the flip side, it’s also just really fun to speculate with what we do know about adjacent organisms (like moths) to try and create something scientifically “correct.” It’s a push and pull situation. 

Particular aspects of this phenomenon that I want to highlight are the obsession with conspiracy that surrounds cryptids (including mothman) and a feeling of forebodingness and also mysterious beauty that comes with talking about misunderstood urban legends like it. My audience isn’t necessarily me (because I already really enjoy the act of just thinking there are cryptids out there) but others that might not have been introduced to this world of cryptids previously. I think, in my sculpture, I’d like to include some wires and lights that maybe cast shadows in the shrine to capture the elusiveness of these creatures that people believe in so much. 

Fremont Troll, Steve Badanes

I really admire the unsettling tone of this sculpture, and I want to try and create an illusion of a creature crawling out of the shrine to unsettle viewers.

Barbara Hepworth. River Form, American walnut, 1965 (BH 401), Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.

I intend to borrow the organic form and smooth finish and emulate them in my pasta shapes.

My shrine will focus on pasta and the different shapes it comes in. I am choosing this food to develop my project around because I consume and enjoy pasta weekly. As a distance runner, pasta is a staple food in my diet. I am also a vegetarian, so pasta is usually what I end up having to order at restaurants. Therefore, I feel very connected to pasta and feel that it would be interesting to explore this relationship visually. 

I want to highlight the many shapes that pasta can be made into. There are three types of pasta: short, long, and pastina. Within these types are a host of specific, individual shapes designed for certain dishes or to support various sauces. With this, I hope to include as many shapes as possible. My goal is to showcase recognizable shapes such as penne and bowtie, as well as more unique shapes like cavatappi. I also think that the sundry of shapes will be useful in creating a dynamic, interesting sculpture with texture and personality. 

My audience for this project is anyone who has ever eaten pasta. The multiple recognizable pasta forms that I will be incorporating will hopefully intrigue many and remind them of the food that they most likely eat often. It is also for those who enjoy food presentation, or the aestheticization of meals. In general, however, I want to make this sculpture as a lighthearted, appreciative ode to pasta rather than elucidate any ulterior serious message about things like overconsumption or gluttony.

My object is a ceramic Chinese dragon. It’s used just for decoration and looks well taken care of as there aren’t any major scratches/chips to the paint. The Dragon is holding a pearl, which symbolizes its connection to wisdom and spiritual energy. Dragons play a huge role in Chinese culture, representing power, luck and courage. The Dragon is also one of the 12 zodiac animals making up the Chinese calendar. Dragons play a big role in celebrations such as Chinese new year, the mid autumn festival and more where Dragon dances are preformed. The dragon symbolizes Chinese culture, beauty and power. Some ideas for my project focus on cultural appropriation or cultural destruction. Im considering making my project about the 1966 Chinese cultural revolution and having the dragons destruction as the focal point.

I decided to work with a hedgehog light. I chose a hedgehog specifically because of their detailed and sharp exterior. I thought it would be interesting to create a mold with their unique texture. 

I developed the idea for this project from a mindfulness class last semester, where we read Stolen Focus by Johann Hari. In the book, Hari stresses the urgent need to protect our attention spans, highlighting how the digital world constantly distracts and diminishes our ability to focus. He explains how social media, notifications, and algorithm-driven content are deliberately designed to keep us addicted, prioritizing engagement over well-being. This manipulation, driven by large tech companies, gradually erodes our focus. He also explains how modern lifestyles contribute to sleep deprivation, further weakening our attention spans. To counteract this, he suggests solutions such as digital detoxes, deep work, and systemic changes to reclaim our ability to concentrate.

Although I initially chose the hedgehog at random, it ended up perfectly symbolizing the themes of Stolen Focus. In my project, the hedgehogs represent humans, in a sense hypnotized by the digital world’s distractions. Just as Hari describes how external forces hijack our attention, especially through social media, hedgehogs, despite their natural defenses, often fall into traps due to curiosity and poor eyesight. This reflects how even self-aware individuals can be manipulated.

The book also emphasizes the importance of uninterrupted rest, which modern life frequently disrupts. Hedgehogs, sleeping most of the day and hibernating to conserve energy, embody nature’s prioritization of rest for survival, just as humans require deep focus and proper sleep for optimal function. Additionally, hedgehogs move cautiously and deliberately, contrasting with modern society’s relentless push for multitasking. This serves as a reminder that slowing down and minimizing distractions is essential for maintaining control over our focus. 

I have chosen a ceramic cat that was made for decoration. I believe the cat ceramic shows the desire to decorate and a love for animals, possibly the need for companionship as well. The work itself holds a very soft feeling. The colors are light and the overall shape is gentle and relaxed. It reminds me of something one would find in their grandparents house. I personally want to work against the soft feeling and stick to something a little more harsh in view. I like the soft cuddly feelings the piece gives but I kind of want to explore the opposite feelings the piece can provoke by creating something that is harsher or more sinister with an object that is clearly more soft and gentle in connotation.

The object I chose is a camera. In a literal sense the object is used to take pictures, freezing a moment in time. It captures memories, important moments, objects, and the world around us. A camera is an object that embodies the human desire to cherish a memory and freeze time. 

While it has this happy connotation of being able to hold memories, as technology advances I think cameras are also associated with surveillance. In this modern age, there is a lack of privacy with the knowledge that you are being watched by cameras almost all the time. 

I think it is interesting that the camera I chose is more old fashioned. It was created before everyone held a device with a camera in it and security cameras were standard. I would love my project to play with the changing connotation of a camera as technology has advanced. I would like to juxtapose the idea of always being watched with the original use of a camera to hold memories.

I chose to use a ceramic bright red bull for my project. Generally a bull is a powerful symbol of strength, but also represents fertility and tenacity. The bull I chose shows a muscular build and the way its hooves dig into the ground reflect these qualities. Honestly my first reaction to this object wasn’t about bullfighting. It reminded me of Red Bull, the energy drink brand. The one classic slogan, “Red Bull gives you wings” played in my head too. While there were no actual wings on the bull,  I think the color helped me make that connection. IN this project I want to highlight the bull’s strength, but I also want to reveal the weak side too. I feel like I could maybe use the Red Bull slogan metaphorically to comment on the negative effects of drinking too many energy drinks. I could illustrate this by starting off with a normal bull and then having multiple of them go through fazes, like eventually getting wings (peak energy off drink), then eventually losing those wings and then having the bull break to show how it affects the body negatively.

The object I’ve chosen is a ceramic chicken used for decoration.  The chicken is decorative and demonstrates people’s desire to personalize their spaces.  The chicken reminds me of a farm and, by extension, the work that goes into taking care of animals.  In addition, the chicken reminds me of Lunar New Years because different years are represented by different animals, including a rooster.  Lunar New Year associates those born in a year of the rooster with being hardworking, confident, talkative, resourceful, and courageous.  I may try to incorporate these associations into my project.  I also think it would be interesting to relate my project to the phrase “running around like a chicken with its head cut off”, a metaphor meaning someone is acting chaotic and confused.  I think this metaphor could be interesting to explore and incorporate into my sculptures.

I have chosen to work with a 3D-printed bear. This bear is all black and features evidence of being 3D-printed through its thin plastic filament layers. The bear is about 6 inches long and 3 inches tall. It is posed standing on all four legs looking straight ahead. It is most likely depicting an American black bear. This object was likely designed to be decorational; for example, one can imagine purchasing the bear in order to display it on a desk or shelf. It could have also served as a children’s toy due to its small size and friendly animal appeal. 

As a wild animal, the bear denotes connections to nature and the environment. Symbolically, the bear represents many different qualities according to different cultures and belief systems. For example, in Indigenous cultures of the Americas, bears are thought of as master healers and keepers of knowledge. In Norse mythology, however, bears are known for their powerful strength, endurance, and ferocity. In Greek mythology, bears are linked to motherhood and protection, as well as cycles of regeneration due to their hibernation periods. 

The bear reminds me of teddy bears, which are one of the most common animals turned into stuffed animal toys. The teddy bear obviously drew inspiration from real bears, and has since been made and reiterated by different companies for many years. This, in turn, made me think about the cycle and evolution of the toy industry. Figurine animals have existed since 5000 BCE when Mesopotamian artists crafted them for religious and good luck purposes. Later in the 1880s, the first modern stuffed animal was created. The human fascination with creating small animal models is intriguing to me. Moreover, the captivation with teddy bears is especially curious. 

In this project, I want to explore the popularity of the bear motif, particularly highlighting its regenerative symbolism. As aforementioned, the bear imagery has been appropriated into the teddy bear, which has been continuously re-envisioned, created, and sold by toy companies for years. To add to this cyclical theme, the bear has been associated with regeneration and rebirth due to its tendency to hibernate in winter. Therefore, I want to emphasize the rebirth quality that bears carry. The ideas that I want to avoid are depicting the bear as possessing brutal strength or having violent dispositions. I feel that this is quite cliche and difficult to portray since the expression of the 3D-printed bear is neutral. 

In a literal sense, my molded object is a robotic cat toy from the 2000’s. It is about 10 inches tall, 6 inches wide, and mostly silver and dark blue. It serves as a “throwback” a nod to 2000’s nostalgia and developing technology for a more playful purpose. It brings me back to my childhood, simpler times when this robotic cat (amongst other toys) was the primary source of fun and play. Conceptually, I’d like to relate these themes to the overall sculpture by creating something playful and fun. On the other hand, I could also use it as a contrasting element and create something serious, capitalistic/consumeristic, and non-playful. These robotic cats could be harnessing their powers to build a larger robot for evil purposes. This concept could also be turned around again to be playful and silly, as if the cats are plotting world demise but in a pitifully cute way. I attempted to communicate these ideas in my sketches below.

I chose to work with a porcelain unicorn, which was probably used for decorative purposes. It was one of two unicorns that I found sitting next to each other– they may have come from a set. 

The unicorn symbolizes innocence and purity to me. The way it’s laying on its side leads me to think that it’s relaxed or resting. Alternatively, in a much darker read of this object, the unicorn could be laying down because it was weakened. The unicorn reminds me of more modern, plastic toys of unicorns like My Little Pony, and also leads me to think about the kids (particularly girls) who would play with these dolls. I wonder if this unicorn was ever taken off of the shelf by a child to play with. 

In terms of this project, I keep thinking about the resilience of innocence in girls. In my experience, girls have always been labeled as more mature while growing up, but then that puts them in a position of having to act mature when boys don’t need to. I want my project to lean into this want to be free from responsibility and forced maturation of my gender. 

I have chosen to work with a painted, wooden rooster, which is a semi-realistic sculpture that resembles a male chicken. 

I think the rooster, in a generalized sense, represents the start of the day and agriculture. They are known for being the leader of their flock, protecting hen, and crowing. I always associate roosters with an alarm due to them crowing in the morning. 

For me, the rooster reminds me of a porcelain rooster that my grandparents have in their kitchen. It is used as a decoration piece underneath their cabinet and it brings back fond memories of childhood visits to their house. I used to visit at least once a year during the summer when I was younger. Every time I was there they would cook a big meal for everyone and everyone would help in the kitchen. The rooster for me reminds me of summer, childhood, and family and I think of the object very fondly.

I think I want to explore the idea of time or cooking in my project. I want to lean into the idea of what a rooster symbolizes. I am also thinking about touching on sexism and patriarchy in a household. Using something related to women in the kitchen. I remember seeing propaganda posters from the 50s or 60s about women in the kitchen cooking chicken, so I might do something along those lines, but with a rooster cooking chicken, symbolizing how people tear each other down more than anything else and playing on the “idea” that women belong in the kitchen.

 

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