| Sarah Sachs
EPortfolio #3
Since the majority of my work tends to be subtractive I chose to focus
my process piece on my process of subtraction. I usually start with a
solid chunk of something and break it down to find the form within. Sometimes
the form that I find comes from so ‘deep within’ that the
final product is minuscule compared to what I started with. I know that
with a little more planning beforehand I could be a lot more efficient
and resourceful with my material, but for now I am really more intrigued
by developing forms by reducing them spontaneously. I knew that I wanted
to exaggerate this process by breaking my material down all the way leaving
nothing but dust, so I was able to abandon all inhibitions and preconceptions
about what the final product would look like and focus on process.
As I discussed in Analysis #1, I think it is important to be aware of
how all outside influences effect the decisions we make. In my case, the
beat of a song I am listening to affects my chisel patterns. A glance
out the window can determine what form I carve next. I wanted to capture
the environment that I was working in and that is why I decided to video
record my entire process. I chose Styrofoam because it’s so easy
to work with and I didn’t want to be worrying about technical problems
or wasting my time with a harder material. The recording captured everything
from the music I was listening to, to getting dust in my eye, to Pam complaining
in the background. When a favorite song was on I tended to work quicker
and was more sure of myself and my decisions. When Pam was complaining
I was distracted and hesitant.
I am going to present my project by emptying the three bags of shavings
and dust back onto the floor where I worked. I am going to project the
video onto the screen separating the Styrofoam work area from the rest
of the studio so that people can watch the process while seeing the finished
product through the screen in the background. I have decided to speed
the video footage up so that people can see the progression without having
to sit there and watch for four hours. Speeding it up will also help reiterate
how repetitive and tedious the process really was.
This project was not only therapeutic but it also convinced me that I
really need to do exercises like this on a regular bases to keep my ‘sculpting
muscle’ in shape. Carrie always says that it’s important to
keep a sketchbook and sketch in it every single day to keep your drawing
muscle in shape. I think that if I am really going to take this style
of sculpting seriously I need to go about it in the same way and practice
more frequently. Since I am also becoming more aware of how influenced
I am by outside stimuli I am going to work on making my work area as conducive
to happy sculpting as I possibly can (whether that may involve wearing
headphones to hear only the things that I want to hear in a shared studio).
As Richard Serra’s daily sketches become part of his overall process,
and Andy Goldsworthy’s experiments build up and lead him to a better,
overall understanding of nature, I hope that I can figure out a way to
integrate pieces of my daily routine to help improve my overall process.
|