12 VAP_Module 7_Installation_Ashleigh R (2) 2021

Visual Arts in Practice Module 7

Client brief and response Client brief: Produce an installation artwork for public display that communicates the school values of engagement, character, care and teamwork or supports the five actions of the Hearts and Minds Framework. The presentation component will also be used to share the installation piece online to the school community through MBC social media pages or Greene-wear online. The installation artwork must include at least three sculptural components with the addition of audio and video aspects. The work must use one of the mediums explored during the unit but may also use media from other units or materials collected from home.

Response: The purpose of this installation is to help the Moreton Bay Collage (MBC) community engage with nature and notice the beautiful aspects of the school.

The hearts and mind initiative is comprised of the values connect, give, be active, take notice and keep learning. My installation is designed to encourage the MBC community to take notice of the environment and nature around that is often taken for granted.

My media choices include found objects both recycled and natural. I have done this because by joining nature with eye catching found objects the attention of the audience is caught and therefore invites them to take notice of their surroundings and engage with the installation and therefore nature.

My installation responds to the environment by bring the environmental elements into the focus and create an inviting atmosphere where the audience can appreciate the beauty of nature.

Installation location and plans The location of my installation is outside the Winchester Centre and the Drewe Locker rooms.

I chose this space because this is a place that I find beautiful and value. If it were quiet, I would want to just sit and lay under the tree and take notice of the natural environment that surrounds me. The auditory, visual and textural elements of the area create a balanced level of stimulation where there is no need to overcompensate for lacking forms of stimulation.

The reasons I chose to install my work in a tree is to achieve the purpose of my installation piece inspired by the Hearts and Minds Wellbeing framework. As a result of using a tree for the base of the installation piece the Moreton Bay College (MBC) community is encouraged to take notice of the school environment.

Proposal outline The purpose of my installation is to encourage the members of the MBC community to take notice of the environment around them, things that are beautiful and peaceful within the school grounds. I aim to invite the members of the community to relax and be in an environment where they feel at peace, where the stimulation is balanced. Recycled and found objects are used to draw attention to the environment showcasing its beauty but also builds awareness and highlights the need to safe the environment.

Plans and sketches for first plan For one of the sculptural elements of my installation I am going to make a vine by weaving twigs together and then I am going to attach flowers made from lolly wrappers which will catch in the light and therefore draw the audiences’ eye and because this vine will be wrapped around and hanging from the tree replicating a vine of flowers that would be found in nature it allows the audience to take notice of the beautiful surroundings.

I will also paint found objects from nature silver and gold because these colours are reflective but they are both elements found in the earth’s crust and are considered natural metals. These natural metals are often used to make man made items so I chose these colours to connect nature with man made living and because they are metallic colours they will shine in the light and catch the attention of the audience. This will be hanging from mobiles hanging in the tree designed to be watched from under the canopy of the tree or attached to the trunk of the tree where the audience can feel it and touch it.

Experimentation

These experiments will likely not be used in my final installation. The gold sheets helped me make the decision to use the colour gold in my final installation making the natural elements appear metallic. The aluminum leaves also helped me make the decision to use metallic colours for my sculptural elements but allowed me to identify that in order to achieve the affect I wanted for my installation piece the metallic materials that I use need to be softer.

The first attempt at making the flowers out of wire worked well but did not have the effect I wanted it to have. Because the purpose of my installation is to draw the MBC community’s attention to the environment at school and I have done this by using metallic elements in shapes that represent the natural elements and the first attempt of the flower did no have any eye-catching features.

Photos of first attempt at making the sculpture

Reflection for sculpture so far When using the hot glue gun on the thin aluminium of the lolly wrappers the sheets melt slightly causing it to bend and stretch because of the heat. The ways that the wrappers changed shape were not planned but fortunately adds to the effect of the representation of a flower, imperfect and small. The heat also made the aluminium really hot to handle making it difficult to make the flowers quickly.

When weaving the twigs to make the first vine they were fresh and flexible enough to plat without breaking them when they bend as they are woven. This became harder to do as the twigs became more brittle and started to snap when weaving the materials. The completed vines also began to break as the twigs dried out making them fragile and not suitable for being outside where they can be exposed to winds.

The vines lack variety in the types of flowers on the vine as the only flower type is made from the lolly wrappers.

For the mobiles I attached each of the strings with the gumnuts in the center of the open seed pod forming a star-like shape. This made the strands of the mobile really close together.

Plans for action to be taken after reflection After having trouble gluing the individual flowers with the hot glue gun I decided to put some hot glue on a surface and use a tooth pick to apply the hot glue to the aluminium foil to allow the glue to cool to avoid burning myself when working with the flowers, avoid the metal melting and make the drying process shorter than it would if the metal melts. By changing the application method it made the process of gluing each flower faster and more manageable. I also decided to fold the aluminium wrapper in half diagonally before gluing it into its shape this made each flower shorter and appear more full when compared to the ones that were not folded first which ended up being longer and appearing less full to look at.

I decided to wrap the weaved twigs in green, organic looking wire to create more stability and make it so it still looked organic. This will allow for some flexibility when the vine is affected by the wind.

To increase the variety in the types of flowers I decided to make smaller flowers.

I decided to drill holes in each of the points of the open seed pod to create negative space between each of the strands.

This makes the overall look of the mobiles more appealing from both close up and further away from the tree.

Final photos of sculpture/installation

Final photos of sculpture/installation

Artist statement This installation is designed to gain the attention of the MBC community by incorporating reused and recycled objects in with the natural and beautiful environment in a particular place that I feel is under appreciated and taken for granted. I aim to invite the audience to take notice of their beautiful surroundings and to just take time to relax and appreciate the balanced scenery and taking notice of the stimulus around you.

Final reflection o The second type of flowers were made using metallic sequins to catch the eye and are made to look like flowers using the green wire. These flowers are a lot smaller, but this makes it so that they can be put close together and not look too crowded or busy. And they look more life like which is even better because it more accurately represents nature which is the aim. o Wire lattices are to make a structure that is more stable and can have the mobiles and the vines hanging from it without it breaking making the installation process easier because the lattices are more malleable and able to be wrapped around the branches without it breaking. The lattices are also spray-painted green to blend in with the tree while still standing out because of the pattern, structure and shine on the wire. o By drilling holes into each of the points of the open seed pod to create negative space between each of the strands. This makes the sound created by the mobiles lighter and less dense. They also look less dense from underneath the tree and from looking at it from a far.

Video and audio files for installation The audio component which is embedded in the video component is going to be used as auditory stimulation for the installation located outside.

The video and audio components combined will be used for the installation when it is located inside to add another element of nature.

The video and audio component go for one minute but will be played on repeat for the installation piece.