Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Casting_Materials Project: Artist Statement

When I read Italo Calvino’s stories, Thin Cities 4 stuck out at me. The idea that half of the city was permanent and the other half got packed up and sent away every year inspired me. The carousel, roller coaster, ferris wheel, death ride and big top were the permanent elements, while the hospital, bank, factories, palaces, school and slaughterhouse were the temporary. This was strange because reality is the opposite.
            For my piece, I wanted to incorporate the permanent with the temporary. I wanted to use a “permanent” material, such as metal, along with a more temporary material, or something that would be removed or break away, such as weak cement.
            The form that I decided to create is a brooch, and I integrated both the permanent and the temporary aspects of the city. The metal frame is in a form that resembles a roller coaster. The frame is connected to a cement stone wall that represents the temporary city and the stone pediments. The cement was mixed without aggregates or strengtheners, so that it would be weak and, over time, break apart, alluding to the impermanence of half of the city.

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