Summary presentation for my second project in my Art and Design A-level course, entitled 'Nature and Manmade'.

1.  
Sculpture and Surface Design
Art and Design Unit 2
Tiffany Duneau

2. 
Cass sculpture park visit, theme compositions, and artist studies.

3.  Here, I was able to record the different interactions
between the manmade sculptures, and their natural
environment, as well as experience the materials and
the effect of the scale used in person, which
became a great starting point.

4.  With these studies, I tried to explore the theme as
broadly as possible, in order to have a good base
upon which to build my later ideas. I chose objects
with contrasting characteristics, ones that displayed
aspects of their opposite nature and ones that were a
combination of nature and manmade in themselves.

5.  Here, I focused on the way others used materials
within their work –the degree of refining the
materials went through and the combinations of
textures, as well as the message they conveyed,
which helped me when creating my sculpture.

8. 
Using the formal elements to develop ideas

9.  These two examples show
how I developed various
designs, by altering the scale,
and colours in order to
produce a different effect or
mood. I also used different
styles of drawing, such as
rough line, and mark making
to create more dynamic and
lively compositions,
compared to clean line
which produced a more
man made feel.

10. 
The different processes I explored, safety, and their effect on materials

11.  I first tried creating a handcut stencil,
by using a craft knife to remove areas
which I wanted printed. As a safety
precaution, I used a cutting mat and
a steel ruler for straight lines, in order
to minimise the risk of cutting myself.
 I then tried a much quicker way,
using Illustrator – I first converted my
pattern into a path, which I was able
to cut out on the laser cutter. An
important safety issue here was the
laser - it is important not to look into it
as it cuts, as the intensity of light
could severely damage your eyes.

12.  To screen print, I first taped down my fabric and stencil to
the printing table to stop them from moving, then laid the
screen on top. After having mixed the right colour dye, I
laid a generous amount onto the top of the screen and
used a squeegee to push the ink through the screen. Here,
the screen was partially blocked, which stopped some of
the ink form coming through.
 When printing, I
made sure to wear
an apron to protect
my clothes, and
washed the
equipment as soon
as I could after
printing my design.

13.  I first used Photoshop to repeat
my initial designs, which
allowed me to change the
colours and repeat by
mirroring, rotating the patterns
or simply tessellating them.
 With my black and white
designs, I created
photocopies, which I then
reassembled by hand to
create repeat patterns. I found
this process good for exploring
many different possibilities,
however repeating digitally
created more professional
looking patterns.

14.  The first models I made were paper, which allowed
me to work quickly, but it was difficult to create
anything strong, for example the curls of paper on
the second sculpture. Capturing a sense of
thichness was also very hard to achieve as the
paper is naturally thin.

15.  The method I used was spot welding, which is very
quick, and works by melting the metal where the
join will be, causing the two parts to fuse together.
This works best when joining two flat surfaces or
perpendicular wires. As the metal is heated very
strongly, gloves should always be worn , and
goggles to protect eyes from eventual sparks.
 Braising is an alternative to spot welding, but takes a
lot more time and is less precise. It involve heating
the two pieces of metal to red-hot temperatures,
and melting braise into the join to fix it together. As
a much larger area of the metal is being heated, it
should be manipulated using tongs, and heat
protective gloves.

16.  A very versatile method of forming is casting plaster,
any clay or plastic mould can be made and filled
with plaster. It is quite brittle, however so cannot
withstand much pressure if applied to a small area,
and if any excess plaster remains after casting, it
should be left to harden before being thrown away,
to avoid blocking the sink.
 Vacuum forming is an alternative method, used to
create a hollow plastic container. A sheet of plastic
is heated until it can be easily deformed, and
placed on top of a former. A vacuum is then
created underneath, causing the plastic to fit
around the mould and take its shape. When cool,
the mould can be taken off and the hardened
plastic trimmed to the correct size.

17. 
The way others have communicated meaning through their work

18.  I researched the work
of Tom and Bob
Bennett, as their work
related to how I had
developed my
sculpture. By
analysing their work
and what they
communicated
through it, I was able
to gain a better
appreciation of what
my own sculpture
would represent for
the viewer.

19. 
How I conveyed meaning through my own work

20.  For the surface design, I wanted to
convey a sense of balance between
nature and manmade, which I tried to
communicate through the pattern,
which is geometric yet filled with
seemingly random details. The bold
colours also add to the contrasts
between nature and manmade, as the
blue is a colour not often found in nature,
whereas browns and yellows are
abundant. The way the two main shapes
of the design capture equal amounts of
attention also adds to the sense of
balance, as well as the continuous
nature of the repeat.

21.  I wanted to show the complementarity of
nature and man made, and how they can
become intertwined and sometimes even
seem to reverse. I did this by constructing the
sculpture so that all elements could
represent both a man made or natural
object – the curved wire seems reminiscent
of natural swirls, but could also be a
necklace chain, and the plaster resembles
carved jewels, which are obtained from the
fusion of man made techniques and a
natural stone. The spherical shape of the
structure itself suggests man made
geometry, but is also a common shape in
the natural world.

22.  Overall I think I managed this project more
effectively than the last, although I still have room
for improvement, especially I terms of artist or
design research, as doing more would help me to
develop my ideas more in response to the work of
others, and I would gain a better understanding of
the impact of the formal elements on visual
communication.
 I think I could also have taken more time when
developing my ideas, in order to be able to think
through my decisions more carefully, as I sometimes
felt a little rushed.