Project 1: Cardboard Replication. How shifts in scale, material, form, effect meaning. Due September 16th
Project Overview
For this project, you will replicate an object from real life, using cardboard to recreate its volume, form and textures. This is an exercise in detail. Start by choosing an interesting object- something that you can hold in your hand. The object should be no bigger than 10 centimeters in any direction, and no smaller than 5 centimeters (otherwise it will be hard to measure).
Your sculpture will be an enlarged scale replica of the original, measuring between 60 and 70 centimeters in it's longest dimension. This shift of scale and material will change the viewer's relationship to the original.
NOTE: You can only use cardboard (any kind), and wood glue. You may NOT use paint, markers, tape, kraft paper, hot glue, or any other material. No piñata technique (paper mache). Tape may only be used as a temporary "clamp" while the glue dries.
NOTE: You can only use cardboard (any kind), and wood glue. You may NOT use paint, markers, tape, kraft paper, hot glue, or any other material. No piñata technique (paper mache). Tape may only be used as a temporary "clamp" while the glue dries.
Skills Developed
Observation, measurement taking, 2-D to 3-D translations, craftsmanship, creative problem-solving,
Key Concepts
How shifts in materiality, context, and scale effect the meaning of an object.
Artists to look at
Claes Oldenburg, Tom Sachs, Jeff Koons
Note: Your project will be more successful if you choose an object that isn’t too simple. Some examples of good objects to choose: Flashlight, staple remover, lightbulb, milk jug. Examples of objects that are bad choices (too simple): iPhone, laptop, picture frame, cup, game system, toys, figurines (because they have already received a shift in scale and material).
Project Schedule
Homework
Before our next class, you will measure your object, and produce six detailed sketches of your object. Views from: top, bottom, front, back, and sides. Your sketches should be detailed enough to give you the information you need to make your replica. No shading is necessary. Be as accurate as possible. Be sure to calculate your multiplier (the number you multiply your original measurements by to make it bigger).
How to find your multiplier
1. Take a measurement of the longest dimension of your original object (call it X, for original).
2. Divide 60 by this number to calculate your multiplier.
Example:
My original object is 10 centimeters tall (its longest dimension). I want my cardboard replica to be 60 centimeters tall. 60 divided by 10 = 6. So, 6 is my multiplier.
Since 6 is my multiplier, I multiply every measurement on my sketch by 6. Note: the unit of measure should remain the same. cm, or mm. Simply multiply by the multiplier (which is 6 in this example).
Project Schedule (Including Homework Deadlines)
Due September 2th: Homework
You must bring the following to class and be prepared to work:
1. The small object that fits in your hand.
How to choose it:
It can be something from nature or something from culture. When you choose your object, ask yourself:
*Will this object be more interesting when I make it bigger?
*Is it too simple or too complex to re-create?
*Does it have interesting form and textures?
*Will changing the size of the object change how we perceive it?
2. Sketchbook with detailed sketches, with measurements and sketches of every side of your object, and notes on its texture.
3. An Xacto blade or a box cutter. Keep this safely put away when you are not in class. Everyone will need a blade to complete this project.
4. A metric ruler.
5. Cardboard (enough to get started). Collect interesting kinds of cardboard (thick, thin, printed, shiny, plain)
Due September 9th: Homework
Project 75% Complete
How to evaluate yourself (and how we will evaluate you):
- A= 75% of cardboard sections already glued together, AND all other shapes cut out and ready to assemble.
- B= 50% of cardboard sections already glued together, AND all other shapes cut out and ready to assemble.
- C= MINIMAL sections glued together, BUT most sections cut out and ready to assemble.
- D= NO sections glued together, and MINIMAL sections cut out and ready to assemble.
- F= NO DRAWING COMPLETED, or OBJECT NOT DECIDED ON. NO CONSTRUCTION UNDER WAY.
Please note: This grade has double the weight of the Homework 1 Grade. Double Weight
September 16th:
DUE DATE. CRITIQUE BEGINS AT START OF CLASS. Bring your finished project ready for crit.
Rubric
This project is a technical exercise in learning to measure, and build. It is also a conceptual exercise in understanding how scale, and material can be shifted to change the meaning of an object. In addition to your creativity in approaching the conceptual exercise, you will be graded on your time-management, and your technical skills: Is the object to scale? Is it well crafted? Neatly glued? Cut well? Is it finished?
You will receive a grade on your process (being prepared with all required materials on day one), which will average into the final grade for the project.
Unfinished projects that are shown at critique will receive no higher than a C grade.
Late projects will be reduced by one letter grade. Therefore, late projects, not shown in critique, will receive no higher than a B.
Please note: The Finished Project grade has triple the weight of the Homework 1 Grade . In total, for this project, you will receive 6 grade units. Homework 1= 1 grade unit. Homework 2 = 2 grade units. Final Project Grade = 3 grade units.
Important concepts:
Texture refers to the properties held and sensations caused by the external surface of objects received through the sense of touch. You will experiment with tearing, scratching, peeling, crunching, and folding your cardboard. These techniques will allow you to mimic the texture of your object.
Shifting the scale of an object in an artwork forces the viewer to pay more attention to it and think of it outside of its everyday context. Artist Tom Sachs’ NASA space shuttle, made of foam core at human scale, makes a high-tech object seem more approachable and unsound. On the other hand, his mammoth bronze sculptures of Hello Kitty show us a cheaply made child’s toy on a scale usually reserved for Generals and Presidents, making it seem absurdly important. Think about how the scale shift you’re dealing with will change your viewers’ perception of the object you’ve chosen.
Everything is made from something. The something that things are made of is called material. Materials are selected for a variety of reasons, including: durability (strength), ergonomics (how it interacts with the body), tactility (how it feels), and appearance (what it looks like). How do material choices affect the perception of an object? What happens when you create something precious out of something we normally throw away? When something heavy, and hard is re-created with a lightweight material, like cardboard?
Due September 2th: Homework
You must bring the following to class and be prepared to work:
How to choose it:
It can be something from nature or something from culture. When you choose your object, ask yourself:
Project 75% Complete
How to evaluate yourself (and how we will evaluate you):
- A= 75% of cardboard sections already glued together, AND all other shapes cut out and ready to assemble.
- B= 50% of cardboard sections already glued together, AND all other shapes cut out and ready to assemble.
- C= MINIMAL sections glued together, BUT most sections cut out and ready to assemble.
- D= NO sections glued together, and MINIMAL sections cut out and ready to assemble.
- F= NO DRAWING COMPLETED, or OBJECT NOT DECIDED ON. NO CONSTRUCTION UNDER WAY.
Rubric
This project is a technical exercise in learning to measure, and build. It is also a conceptual exercise in understanding how scale, and material can be shifted to change the meaning of an object. In addition to your creativity in approaching the conceptual exercise, you will be graded on your time-management, and your technical skills: Is the object to scale? Is it well crafted? Neatly glued? Cut well? Is it finished?
You will receive a grade on your process (being prepared with all required materials on day one), which will average into the final grade for the project.
Unfinished projects that are shown at critique will receive no higher than a C grade.
Late projects will be reduced by one letter grade. Therefore, late projects, not shown in critique, will receive no higher than a B.
Please note: The Finished Project grade has triple the weight of the Homework 1 Grade . In total, for this project, you will receive 6 grade units. Homework 1= 1 grade unit. Homework 2 = 2 grade units. Final Project Grade = 3 grade units.
Everything is made from something. The something that things are made of is called material. Materials are selected for a variety of reasons, including: durability (strength), ergonomics (how it interacts with the body), tactility (how it feels), and appearance (what it looks like). How do material choices affect the perception of an object? What happens when you create something precious out of something we normally throw away? When something heavy, and hard is re-created with a lightweight material, like cardboard?
MORE EXAMPLES FROM THE INTERNET (ARTISTS, AND OTHERS)
Some historical references:
Bronze Age Cycladic Figures 3300-1100BCE
Alexander Archipenko 1912
Umberto Boccioni 1912
Constantin Brancusi 1909
John Bradley Storrs 1919
Pablo Picasso 1958
Toby Ziegler 2006
2008
NWSA Student Examples
John Bradley Storrs 1919
Pablo Picasso 1958
Toby Ziegler 2006
2008
NWSA Student Examples
Other referenced from the internet:
