Processes, Methods, And Theories For Cubes (Week 9)

I’ve always been a big fan of being silent for the early part of my critiques.  Cold reads are really the only way to find out if the language of the artwork is resonating with the viewers as I intend.  You find out really quick if what you are doing is working or not.  Then after fifteen minutes or so I will start to answer questions, some of which are brought up during my time of silence.  From here, the critique is generally an open conversation between me and the group.

This week’s critique will be an interesting one.  Usually I have the time to plan out a finished installation or concept but I have been given three days notice.  Honestly, I am not sure what I am going to set up and I am a bit afraid that it may be a bit flat.  I will be trying to have my mock up for thesis pretty well finished as well as a presentation of a new grid.  If I can find the time I will have a surprise to present as well.  Oh and I will have a statement completed that will find its way into conversation.

There have been a lot of things happening the past week, mostly writing and planning.  I spent the early part of the week writing a paper for Gallery and Curatorial Practices.  I highly recommend going to the Columbus Museum of Art to see the new photography show called “The Sun Placed in the Abyss”.  The show focuses on themes surrounding photography and cinema where the sun is the subject of the work.  The show explores technological, historical, cliche, scientific, and experimental themes.

The next major project was creating  and presenting a lecture as part of a panel that Molly put together for the Mid America College Art Association in Cincinnati.  The panel was titled “MFA in Visual Arts: New Project, Working and Teaching in a Multidisciplinary Project Based Program”.  It was a really great experience giving a lecture in front of complete strangers.  Luckily my girlfriend videotaped my section, so I will get the chance to watch myself and critique my behavior.  I’ll give more of these lectures in the future for sure.

On top of that I spent some time completing my response to Paul’s piece in The Call and Response show.  I created another cube illusion but painted it with a Piet Mondrian themed color pallet.  I would have never colored a cube this way if it weren’t for the show and I would have thus never discovered how interesting it is to walk around in this state.  Maybe I will have a chance to do this later on this semester but, I had intended on building 50+ of these sort of leaning cube for my next critique.  I have already ordered the steel for them.  I can almost guarantee that my critique will be about planning my ambitious thesis goals.

The final excitement of the week was the preparation made for the bronze pour next tuesday.  The oven will be loaded tomorrow evening.  I am attempting to bronze a jade plant.  If this experiment works, I will be thoroughly impressed with the potential of bronze.  What started out as a personal endeavour turned into an eight hour commitment.  I left Battelle at 12:30 after helping a few of the undergraduates complete their molds.  The plaster room is a wreck but, rightly so.