Progress and Artist Research: Emphasis, Contrast, Concept
Artist Research - Aurora robson
Aurora Robson was born in 1972 in Toronto Canada but grew up in Hawaii. She is a multi-media who works with plastics that have been removed from the waste stream. She draws her inspiration primarily from a childhood nightmare and works toward the idea of morphing herself with the shapes found in nature. Her driving force behind her work is to spark positivity and drive change. She studied art history and visual arts at Columbia University and is a recipient of the Pollock-Krasner Grant, a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Sculpture, a TED/Lincoln Re-Imagine Prize and a National Endowment for the Arts Art Work Grant. She is one of the founding artists of Project Vortex - a collective of artists that work toward innovative ideas to utilize plastics as raw material. (https://www.aurorarobson.com).
Many of her works are large installation pieces that feel extremely delicate and calming. I am drawn to that feeling of peace and tranquility that pieces like “Be Like Water” project. As a novice artist just starting out in 3D work, I would love to be able to conceptualize works that provide a clear feeling of peace and joy in the same was as Aurora Robsons work. I feel like in many of her pieces she uses a lot of color and in that way her work is similar to the kind of work I would like to create. Work similar to Arise (see below) use bold colors but still feel light and joyful to me.
Arise - Aurora Robson
Be Like Water - Aurora Robson
100 Items that I could potentially use for this project - (I will continue to add to this list as ideas come to me)
Paper Cups
Plastic Cups
Napkins
Paper Plates
Toilet Paper Tubes
Paper Clips
Binder Clips
Rubber Bands
Nails
Screws
Paper Towels
Brads
Q-Tips
Puzzle Pieces
Playing Cards
Straws
Plastic forks
Plastic Spoons
Plastic Knives
Paper Bowels
Dominos
cardboard boxes
plastic bags
Staples
marbles
rocks
tissue paper
crepe ribbons
index cards
greeting cards
legos
cupcake papers
icing bags
ziplock bags
trash bags
Empty Food Boxes
Plastic Bottles
Aluminum Cans
make up sponges
cotton make up rounds
Candy Wrappers
Coloring Book Pages
Puzzle Book Pages
Checkers
Chess Pieces
Toy Cars
Plastic Dinosaurs
Plastic animals
Green Army toy soldiers
Plastic Spiders
Bottle Brushes
Sponges
Wash Cloths
Bells
Pens
Pencils
Markers
Pine Cones
Christmas Garland
Puppy Training Pads
Dog / Cat Toys
Dog waste bags
Pet Collars / leashes
Shower Curtain Rings
Bathmats
soap dishes
Shower Curtain Liners
Pillow Cases
Matches
Shoe laces
Thumb tacks
plastic leis
toy blocks
tooth picks
swizzle sticks
Project Update
From the above list, I chose to work with paper cups in a blue/green/purple colorway. I have a combination of solid cups and patterned dixie cups that are combined in a variety of ways to create the overall structure. The working critique was extremely helpful to me because I was struggling in general with my direction. Several suggestions (including increasing the size of the base) helped me to move forward and continue to develop the project. I saw several different techniques that I found interesting but for the most part none that would translate to my object. I did really enjoy the paperclip idea - and since starting the project have had several ideas that I may pursue on my own after the semester is over.
I have spent a lot of time developing different modular pieces that can be swapped in and out of the larger structure. This allows me to try a number of different orientations and color arrangements to find the one that is most interesting and most aesthetically pleasing to me overall. I believe that as I continue to push through this project it will eventually come together in what I’m calling a “Seuss meets Alice In Wonderland” sculpture.
