Pattern & Ornament: In Depth Project - Cardboard Sculpture (Part 2) {Version 1}

Cardboard Sculpture : Use of light to enhance the patterns on the walls

When I thought of this in depth project I realize my wallpaper pattern was a little difficult but honestly  for me it was doable. Since my wallpaper was mostly squares I decide to focus my attention on the form abstracting the details from the photos to take the triangle/ circle to complete the composition. I did the panels because I wanted to give it an overall square form but I did not want to close it completely to make it more interesting and to add the light so the patterns can reflect on the walls. Sadly or luckily I was totally wrong !!!!! My piece did not reflect my wallpaper and I am planning to create a second version to fulfill the challenge of this project. 

Process of cardboard sculpture: Photo 1

Process of cardboard sculpture: Photo 2

Process of cardboard sculpture: Photo 3

Process of cardboard sculpture: Photo 4

Process of cardboard sculpture: Photo 5

Photos 1 to 5 describe the process of an unsuccessful cardboard sculpture!

Pattern and Ornament: Small Works- Circle, Square & Triangle (Part 3)

Final Small Works: "Pattern & Ornament"

Since the first step of this small works module was to copy the quill using drawing mediums, I wanted to explore with materials. I love crayons and markers but I really wanted to experiment and be creative. Of course there was an issue, the materials had to be accessible and cheap. That why I decided to used aluminum foil and clay to make these pieces possible.

The Process of the Square - Step 1 : Cover the board with aluminum foil

The Process Of the Square - Step 2 : Molding the Symbols with clay

I thought that even if the square, the circle and the triangle were separate geometric forms; I wanted to give them a sense of unity. For that reason I choose to used aluminum foil in the 3 pieces and used the green clay in the 3 forms to embrace that unity. 

My form base language was too abstract and they were a combination of symbols. In order to complete this assignment successfully I disintegrate these symbols to be able to used them.

For the square I used my symbols for freedom, union, generosity and travel.

The Process of the Square - Step 3: Final Piece

For the circle I used my symbols for equality, artist, creativity and friendship.

The Process of the Circle- Step 1: circle covered with aluminum foil

The Process of the Circle - Step 2: The Circle in the Making

For the triangle I used my symbols of personality, weirdness, over- think and beginning.

The triangle

Pattern & Ornament: Outside Visit - Art and Design in the Modern Age at the Wolfsonian Miami

Selfie at the Wolfsonian

As soon as I enter this exhibition I felt in other era and all I wanted was to take the majority of these objects home. I love how the exhibit was divided in 10 different sections such as:

Stained Glass Window 

• Forces of Modernity
• Political Persuasion
• The Irish Free State
• All the World's Fair
• Clean, Sanitary, Efficient: Improving the Modern Home
• Living with Modernity
• Modern Decorative Arts
• Portraiture and Person hood
• Constructing the Modern World
• Americans All

My favorite part of the exhibition was "all the world's a fair", "clean, sanitary, efficient: improving the modern home", and "living with modernity" because they show  objects such as cameras, souvenirs from art fairs, radios, kitchens, TV, coffee pots, etc, with such a beautiful design. 

Radios, Film Projector and Telephones

All these objects seem to have a fine material selection, handcraft manufacturing, uniqueness (few's of the same object), completely different from today house ware; mass produce, copy one from another and using the cheapest made in china industry. Also, I was impressed of how brands that we commonly see in our household like General Electric or WestingHouse had been producing, changing their designs and their process. I was engage with mostly the majority of the objects in this exhibition. I was specially excited with the electronics. I really wanted to be the owner of these treasure objects. Also, I was intrigued by some of the artwork included in the exhibition like "Doppelakt": a nude painting of two ladies embracing Nazi ideals of fertility and female body. 

Doppelakt ( double nude) c.1940
Ivo Saliger

I was impressed by the stained glass window as well; the details and the colors, plus the narrative on each panel make a really interesting piece. My favorite object from the exhibition was the "Kodak Bantam Special Camera" from 1936 designed by Walter Dorwin Teague.

Other interesting aspect of this exhibition was how in "improving the modern life" designers consider the material, the innovation and the form for these beautiful pieces. In the other hand, is sad to realize how before designers and industries seem to invest more time into their products while now days seem to only worry for their own popularity completely separating art from design.

clock selfie

Kodak Bantam Special Camera designed by:
Walter Dorwin Teague

Pattern and Ornament: Reading - Ornament and Crime by Adolf Loos

I feel identified with the tattoo analogy because even today that tattoo art is more accepted, sometimes I feel the awkward looks of random people. People are still too judgmental even in the 21st century. Personally I consider tattoos a beautiful ornament, my skin is my canvas and I tell my story in my body with ink. Piercing are an ornament as well, more accepted than tattoos probably because is something  not permanent and as long they are not exaggerated they are perceived as ok. Its sad how handcraft work such as embroidery and lace-maker lost its hierarchy due to mass manufacture objects. Its also comforting that "hipsters" small business are trying to rescue these traditions and make them trendy. The debate if the ornament is aesthetic or not will be endless. Some people might say ornament is a waste and that the lesser the better while others might think ornament is a beautiful detail that represents tradition and culture. 

Pattern & Ornament: In Depth Project - Wallpaper ( Part 1) {Version 1}

Finish Wallpaper

I have to say that I enjoy the first step of the in depth project, walking around the city and acknowledge my surroundings was an awareness call. There are so many things that we do not see because we rush everyday, every time and we do not stop to smell the roses. I mostly focus of floor patterns. 

My confusion start on step 2, trying to see a pattern within the photos. I focus on doing the pattern with shapes rather than with the photos itself. 

I enjoy the analog process but my craftsmanship can be improve. Also, after seen the works from my classmates I believe my piece is boring but I like my color choice and texture.

Pattern & Ornament: Small Works - Quill (Part 2)

Finish Quill

For the second step of the small works we had to copy the quill pattern with our own symbols. I had to disintegrated some of my symbols in other to be able to used them. Some of the symbols that I consider interesting were to abstract or a group of symbols. I took elements from my friendship, style/outfit, artist and equality first versions. Also, I took the elements from the second versions of race and generosity to include on the pattern, as well as second versions of body insecurity and connection. 

First stage of quill:Body insecurity, connection and equality

 I try to choose symbols or meaning that identified my personality and put them together in order to describe me. 

I used basic colors and contrast them to describe not only my personality but the way I perceive style. 

I was thinking in Gothic windows and Arabic rugs while I was on the making of the quill and kind of inspire the final result.

The second stage of the quill with color selection

Pattern & Ornament: Small Works - Symbols (Part 1)

Symbols 1 to 12

Symbols 13 to 24

Symbols 25 to 36

 For this first stage of the small works related to pattern and ornament I decided I want to used the signs as a description for important memories or events  that impact my life. It was difficult to keep the cliche away from the picture, so half way in the process I choose to make the symbols more abstract . This last series of symbols rely more on the lines to express emotions.

Symbols 37 to 48

Symbols 49 & 50
Description of symbolism: objects 1 to 9

Description of symbolism: objects 10 to 21

Description of symbolism: objects 22 to 34

Description of symbolism: objects 35 to 45

The majority of the symbols have a description explaining why or how the symbol identify with me.

The first 29 symbols also have an explanation of the relation between the object and the meaning.

At the end I  did second versions of some of the symbols. These second versions try to brake the initial cliche that I feel was affecting the first image.

Description of symbolism: objects 46 to 50

Second versions of  symbols

Pattern & Ornament: Reading- Deep Surface (Ornament and Pattern) by CAM Raleigh

I being attracted to pattern all my life and I thought it has to be a result of my cultural background. The first paragraph of the essay describes how pattern is essential to our lives and the way we are attached to it since day one,even a scientific study approves this idea. In the other side; ornament is a complement for the pattern, is equally necessary to express ourselves adding meaning and symbolism to our lives. Ornament and pattern are a form of language that serve as visual tool to describe an object. It is desolate how some people perceived ornament as a decadent and weak form of art. Also, is disappointed how they describe ornament as "feminine arts and decoration" considering something less.

Other disadvantage was the initiation of mass production, making handcraft objects expensive. Actually ornament is assumed as something nostalgic. In the other hand pattern is still use like a structure in many designs. Some designers like Delvarey and Manferani decided to break the cycle and benefit of the machine to generate their designs. It is interesting how these new designers start to see ornament with certain purpose; approaching their exhibitions with a themes related to the ornament subject such as amplification, the everyday, kit of parts , inheritances, elaboration and fantasy. These categories describe the different uses of pattern and ornament in the design/art industry. Ornament and pattern are important components in the way humans perceive the pieces, helping the process of identifying a particular relationship with a culture or tradition.

Pattern and Ornament: Reading - Ornament and the Sources of Design in the Decorative Arts

Is contradictory how Ivins classified ornament, design, and craftsmanship; how he perceived these elements as individuals. I disagree with this opinion because these elements work as a whole to complete artworks successfully. Everything starts with an idea, that idea require certain type of design to be possible. While the style determined how much ornament or craft is needed to fulfill the artist intention in a specific piece. Is difficult to imagine how even in formal education style and ornament were separated into two different fields that go together (design and architecture). Also, is disappointed  to realize how early craftsman's did not had the opportunity to explore new techniques because these improvements or new discoveries went only to a privileged group. Is complex the thought of craftsmanship not been consider in early art education as something that needs to be study and master.

The evolution of decorative art and the relationship with cultural associations is highly interesting, the idea of a particular piece of art evoking a culture; like Moroccan mosaics that determine that an object comes probably from that area of the middle east. Craftsman evolve as well, in the way a certain job was specific to someone; such as ornaments only made by painters. Nowadays any person even with no formal practice or education can explore art or craft making. Other important aspect is the way ornament or design can work as a tool of inspiration for artists. Institutions like museums and galleries must be aware of how the art world is changing  and make their spaces more inclusive not only to the artists but also to their visitors and art aficionados; to expand the knowledge for the sake of all!

WARP First Post

Labels Help You Organize

All blog posts must be labeled with two keywords, which blogger calls Labels. When faculty visits your blog for evaluation purposes, we will use the labels to quickly find your work. If you do not use the keywords properly, we will not be able to find your work. Proper set-up and maintenance of your blog falls under the Research and Participation part of your grade which counts for 30% of the overall semester grade. 

Topical Keywords

The first set of keywords correspond to the module we are working in. We will refer to these as topical keywords since they correspond to the topic we are exploring over the two-week periods. Your first group of posts will be labeled under Topic: Creative Impulse since this is the first topic (Topic #1). Here are the topical keywords you will use through out the semester:

Topic: Creative Impulse

Topic: Pattern and Ornament

Topic: Rhinoceros

Topic: Narrative

Topic: Landscape

Topic: Zine

Categorical Keywords

The second set of keywords will organize your posts according to kind. Here are the Keywords you will use for Labels:

Exercises - tag for posts documenting all assigned exercises. The first one will be the paper folding exercise from the first class. 

Readings - tag for posts containing your two paragraph responses to the assigned readings. The first ones will be for "The White Bird" and the Jerry Saltz article from Vulture.com. 

Small Works - tag for posts documenting all assigned small works. The first blog post labeled Small Works will contain images and accompanying descriptions of the three small works you complete for the Creative Impulse Module (Topic #1). 

In-Depth Projects - tag for posts documenting all assigned In-Depth projects. The first blog post labeled In-Depth Projects will contain images (or video if appropriate) and accompanying descriptions of the more robust work you produce in response to the Creative Impulse Module (Topic #1).

Outside Visits - tag for posts containing your two paragraph responses to all required visits outside of the classroom. These include visits we do together as a class [during class time] or individually outside of class time. 

Please be sure to use both a topical and categorical keyword when labeling your posts.