I decided to make a series of mini sculptures using the makeup sponges. I liked the way they looked strong and harsh which contrasted with their soft delicate consistency. I decided to use wire as a bone structure for some of them as well.

I looked at some sculptures such as Alexander Calder who used hard metal as their material to achieve a much more delicate appearance very much contrasting with my work.

If I were to do this project again or develop it further I would work more with peoples reactions the the sponges as it was interesting to watch how people always wanted to touch, squeeze or tower them up.

For this project I was given a pack of makeup sponges, the first thing I decided to do was to draw them, the shapes and texture were interesting.

I then started experimenting with piling them up and arranging them in different ways, I also thought about the way people reacted to them often squeezing and playing with them.

 

I really wasn’t sure what direction I wanted to take this projects I wasn’t immediately inspired by the sponges. I know they are traditionally quite an intimate object you use in a close personal way (to apply makeup) so I thought I could do something to contrast with that.

 

Recently I went to visit the Space Shifters exhibition, this is what gave me a lot of inspiration for my own installation project. I was really fascinated by the big variety of forms of installation, I loved Felix Gonzales-Torres curtains, they were so dynamic and were really interesting to look at as they moved and light reflected on them, I also loved the shadows they gave off.

 

Another installation that stood out to me was Narcissus Garden by Yayoi Kusama, I loved how when the simple metallic spheres came together it became a mesmerising installation. I loved the reflections they gave off, I think the installations main theme is narcissism, you can’t help but look at yourself the balls.

 

 

I decided to develop on this project further by making some cyanotype prints, I wanted to capture the look and feeling of clouds, or being in the Cloud Room. for the prints I layered cling film over cyanotype paper to create the pattern. My idea for these prints would be to use them as wallpaper in the Cloud Room.

I wanted to take this project further and experiment with the idea of creating emotions. I decided to change my relaxing installation into a claustrophobic environment. I filled the whole model with cotton wool balls. The viewer would have to wade their way through a mass of the cotton wool balls, this would turn something traditionally very gentle and soft into something which trapped and enclosed you.

I knew I wanted to make an installation inside my model so I started to think of ideas. I wanted the installation to make the viewer feel something. My first idea was to make them feel trapped in, I thought of using either string or foam. I started experimenting drawing a foam maze like space and realised it looked like clouds this lead me to the idea of a cloud room. Walking through the clouds or flying is a great desire for many people, I wanted my room to be a relaxed place where u can experience a simulation of this.

I decided to make it with cotton wool, the soft fluffy texture worked really well.

I measured a specific space within the university with the measurements I collected I used a 1:25 scale to create a model of the space. Although I struggled making the scale model, I found it useful as I know artists often have to measure gallery spaces in order to create installations.

I am really pleased with how my final piece turned out, I really enjoyed this project particularly this outcome as I like how its not a conventional art piece or something have done before.

I discovered the artist and photographer Henry Hargreaves who did  a series of photographs imagining famous film directors birthday cakes. He made the cakes then photographed them in a mini set he created for each one. I really like how playful, comedic and exaggerated all the images were and this really inspired me to want to do the same.

 

From our objects we used trying paper to draw from them and turn them into things, I really liked taking different parts of an object and  layering them or changing their positions to make something different.

From one object I drew a pink blossom tree, someone asked me why I had used pink, this made me question why I was drawn to the colour pink and what pink actually meant. 

After doing some research into the colour pink I discovered that a lot of people, and artists were trying to reclaim the colour. Pink is usually associated with femininity, weakness and innocence but people are trying to reclaim it and make it a tough, powerful and strong colour. For example on the Trump Women’s Protest many women chose to wear bright pink “pussy hats” in protest of his sexist comments. Also the artist group the Guerrilla girls painted dilapidated buildings in Johannesburg pink in protest of the poverty and division in the city.

This is an article I found really interesting: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/sep/10/think-pink-how-the-colour-is-being-reclaimed

I decided to make a “re-birthday cake” for the colour pink, I drew the cake based on one of my objects I made. I contrasted the soft pink icing of the cake with the solid, strong wire.