Yaku Stapleton - Practice Portfolio

PORTFOLIO

F5.4. CONTEXTUAL STUDIES

JACOB STAPLETON

Stapleton,J.,

2019. No Title (Mesh Pillow). [Spandex mesh and wadding]

Bibliography

CONTENTS

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Text Review 5

Illustrations List

CONTENTS

4

Critical Review 6

Third Space 10

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Illustrations List 1941. Isamu Noguchi With Plaster Model. [Photo].

Klein, Y., 1959. Blue Sponge. [Dry pigment in synthetic resin on sponge with metal rod and stone base].

Klein, Y., 1960. Hiroshima (ANT 72). [Dry pigment and synthetic resin on paper mounted on canvas].

Klein, Y., 1960. Untitled Anthropometry (ANT 84). [Dry pigment and synthetic resin on paper mounted on canvas].

Klein, Y., 1961. Planetary Relief “Terre” (Earth). [Dry pigment and synthetic resin on plaster mounted on panel].

Mueck, R., 1997. Dead Dad. [Mixed media].

Mueck, R., 2005. In Bed. [Mixed techniques].

Mueck, R., 2013. Woman With Shopping. [Painted silicone, fiberglass, synthetic hair, and fabric].

Noguchi, I., 1970. The Illusion Of The Fifth Stone. [Aji granite].

Smithson, R., 1970. Spiral Jetty. [Basalt rock, salt crystals, earth, water].

Stapleton,J., 2019. Design Realization. [Digital] Stapleton,J., 2019. Design Realization. [Digital] Stapleton,J., 2019. Design Realization. [Digital] Stapleton,J., 2019. Design Realization. [Digital] Stapleton,J., [Clay]

2019. No Title (Hand Sculpture).

Stapleton,J., 2). [Clay]

2019. No Title (Hand Sculpture

Stapleton,J., 2019. No Title (Mesh Pillow).

[Spandex mesh and wadding] Therrien, R., 2008. No Title (Folding Table And Chairs, Green). [Paint, metal and fabric].

Therrien, R., 2008. Pots And Pans 2. [Metal and plastic].

Therrien, R., 2010. No Title (Stacked Plates).

[Plastic].

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1941. Isamu Noguchi With Plaster Model. [Photo]. Noguchi, I., 1970. The Illusion Of The Fifth Stone. [Aji granite]. Stapleton,J., 2019. No Title (Hand Sculpture). [Clay]

t

‘The atlas for human anatomy for the artist’ (Peck, 1982) and ‘The Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum’ (Noguchi, 1987) saw to be my main inspirations when starting my most recent research project.

The initial statement at the start of the atlas bought about the idea of structural and sensual design, ideas I had never considered in much depth.” One must be learned, the other perceived” (Peck, 1982). This statement stuck with me throughout this investigation.

The curves and shapes Noguci forms are mesmerizing. His use of depth and shadows when contrasted with the stone he attacks to form his sculptures was what first drew me to his work. Most endearing in his sculptures was the scalability of the parks which were in fact proposals for full-scale projects. Surprisingly to myself this would seem to be enough points of reference to begin my research journey.

I sought to find out exactly what it was about senses, scale, size and stone that I loved.

CRITICAL REVIEW What intrests are worth exploring?

My design process has been focused around palm sized clay models that I hand sculpted whilst thinking about my readings in the atlas. From this I then pondered on the application of the same shapes/forms to garments in turn, scaling up in physical size. Would these sculptures evoke the same feelings when larger or maybe they would have to towered over me rather than sitting comfortably in the palm of my hand to truly have a lasting effect on my perception of objects? It was now time to direct my focus to these new questions.

By chance I attended a lecture on deconstruction at the same time I was thinking like this . Jacques Derridas Of Grammatology (Derrida, 1998) explains that put simply ‘deconstruction is an approach of questioning the representations given

and made by ourselves’. He raises the idea that the artist is not in control of the representations given to their work moves it from ‘a matter of private interpretation’ to ideas ‘constructed by external signs, images and factors’ (Johnson, 1994) that come from the viewer also. This deconstructs the idea that the artist holds the biggest influence in how the work is perceived.

I’m constantly drawn to the idea that a person’s perception can be challenged or broken down if the art is proposed in a certain way. I’m intrigued more specifically to the use of scale/size in changing a person’s perception of the art or object presented to them. I wondered how much effect this could have and if it was just me who found this concept so interesting.

Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenology of perception then becomes a key tool in this understanding as he states “we take up truths of fact and in carrying them forward - they become truths of reason.

The latter become sedimented into cultural tradition and therefore become part of the foundations for our thoughts.”

(MerleauPonty, 2011) This breakdown of perception allows for an understanding of what it really is, an experience, which helped me make a lot more sense of what I was aiming to do through my work. Instead of approaching the world as a logical place, where in which our understanding of it is entirely scientific and believing the world outside of our minds has a definite meaning which is then interpreted imperfectly, phenomenology suggests otherwise.

That meaning comes into existence in our relationship with our own senses, emotions and consciousness.

More meaning could be given to an experience if there is a deeper relationship between the experience itself and our own consciousness.

The result couldn’t be a simple reaction but instead a series of feelings and questions that in turn build an experience. I’d like to investigate the feeling of unknown and haptic vision which is when perception is achieved through the exploration of surfaces and objects.

The use of scale within art is extensive and through studying pieces it gave the chance to compare to my own practice and see what similarities I may have shared. Works by Yves Klein, Robert Therrin, Ron Mueck and Robert Smithson allowed for a deep reflection on my work towards the end of research and gave a new push of perhaps where I could take my own use of scale further.

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2020. Design Realization. [Digital]

‘Bigness and Littleness’ Will Self, 2010.

In this review, Will Self, an English writer discusses his childhood where he collected doll’s house furniture, trolls and miniature dictionaries.

He then goes on to explain how this

it’s all new! Very sensory, experiential and tactile!

artist propose the idea of scaling up as a nod to our youth years when maybe we thought about the world differently. This thinking tends to forget that in our youth years we also have the tendency to take miniature versions of full scale and play/investigate them, in turn making scaled up versions within our own minds. I felt this resonated with me well and brought me back to the internal feeling I had when first sculpting. I almost felt innocent and exposed as I re-experienced what is was like to pay with miniature scale for the first time. These feelings were confirmed when first presented my sculptures to a tutor at university. The exposed feeling came back to me and I felt reluctant to open myself up for potential embarrassment that I would seem crazy being so invested in palm sized models. The whole experience was fascinating and Self’s thoughts back to his childhood playing with trolls reminded me of this.

“I assiduously collected trolls, doll’s house furniture and tiny books such as Langenscheidt dictionaries - little things that I would arrange into tableaux. What pleased me about them was not only their own integrity of scale, but their contrast with the actualsized world.” (Self, 2010) Self brings us into his own world to give a scope on the origins of his thinking on the topic. His interest, like mine begins with the miniature which is interesting to me as many other thinkers and

“Levi-Strauss adduced one main reason for the aesthetic satisfaction we gain from diminutions in scale, arguing that a small-scale model reverses our normal process of understanding” (Self, 2010). Selfs breakdown of Strausses work allows for an understanding of the human thought process when we encounter a smallscale object. He then goes on to explain that going bigger has a different result in that we are only able to then grasp parts of

fascination with the small has had a lasting effect on how he approaches art in which plays with and manipulates scale.

“Indeed, while like most writers I mistrust any romantic talk of “inspiration”, even at the time I felt that “Scale” was coming to me with a peculiarly deductive fluidity, that each successive sentence seemed logically to derive from that initial and perplexing proposition.” (Self, 2010) I feel this sentence encapsulates that initial experience of creating the sculptures in a way that I could not put together better to explain the feeling. All kinds of ideas, in my words ‘sploodging’ together.

For these moments there’s no lineal path of inspiration, the ideas don’t require a pre casted logic,

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Mueck, R., 1997. Dead Dad. [Mixed media].

Stapleton,J.,

TEXT REVIEW

the artwork at a time. This was interesting to me as an increase in the time needed to analyse a final piece is my aim. He suggests that in fact increasing the size means the analytic process is then deconstructed as a viewer cannot grasp it in its entirety at once.

Larger physical size means that it’s impossible to analyse the piece in one go. Instead, the viewer can only experience the part they are looking at. Once all parts of the art are seen, an overall view could be established but this is likely to be much different to perception that would have arose if the art could be experienced all in one go.

The question I then ask myself is if the idea of cute important to me and thus should it be on concern going forward now. No. Further on from this increased size offers chance to feel minimalised yourself, made to feel like a child. Although quite personal he expresses this quite well and shows that size can bring out emotions with more impact. More emotional, (Self, 2010) and “palpable” effects are needed to build a more complex perception.

Will Self’s philosophy is important in my approach to my work as its often I feel I may be heading down a pointless path however when he explains with reference how size is both effective and important it installs a sense of purpose in my practice. Most specifically in drawing me to the work of Ron Mueck who practises a great use of scale in delivering quite emotional concepts and feelings.

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Stapleton,J., [Clay]

2020. No Title (Hand Sculpture 2).

Mueck, R., 2005. In Bed. [Mixed techniques].

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2020. No Title (Hand Sculpture 2).

The use of scale in art.

Through the completion of my critical review I was able to firstly piece together a somewhat short story of finding new fascinating artworks and work out why I personally think they’re great.

Secondly, it gave the opportunity to collate information and concepts that relate to my practice, of which I will focus in on some more acutely. Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenology of perception pushed my understanding of the deconstruction the furthest thus I will delve into his work further in this piece. To support this work by Barthes and Foucault will be touched on to give a rounded view on the perception of art.

“Dress is a form of visual art, a creation of images with the visible self as its medium” (Hollander, 2009) It is important to understand fashion is a form of art and should approached in that manor. The time in which fine arts and fashion have been studied has quite a large difference in that fashion as a historical study is a recent practice however fashion provides “important clues regarding issues of class, gender, social status, etc.”

(Miller, 2007). Therefore, it must be held in the same regard as the fine arts and in turn have the same comparative value. With this understanding the more artistic and philosophical contexts I bring to fashion to question how we record, register and where our perceptions and experiences become clearer.

Philosophy and ideas in the head must then be amalgamated in real life. From here I’ll go on to analyze the works of Ron Muek, Robert Therrin, Robert Smithson and Yves Klein who allow me to see where the theory I’ve investigated is applied in the artistic world. This will offer the opportunity to pinpoint aspects of realized art pieces I enjoy and can then apply to my own practice.

It’s been important for me to use a range of art and theory in my research as I feel both are necessary in order to form more complete ideas. In turn this will bring more reference opportunities into my subconscious and thus add more depth to my practice. Before beginning this piece its important to know I am learning as I’m writing. Currently I’m sure that my interest in deconstruction is true however, in terms of my own practice there are aspects I’m not sure of. Through the completion of this piece I hope to complete the foundations for my newfound

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concept.

Picking up from where I left in my critical review, Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenology of perception then becomes a key tool in this understanding as he states: “we take up truths of fact and in carrying them forward they become truths of reason.

The latter become sedimented into cultural tradition and therefore become part of the foundations for our thoughts” (Merleau-Ponty, 2011,pg.120).

This breakdown of perception allows for an understanding of what it really is, an experience. I think the value of this experience is the highest and is of priority in my garments rather than trend or style. But what builds this experience? How does MerleauPonty explain further and in more detail?

“Perception happens through noncognitive, even unconscious, bodily skills. Meaning is made from the “intuitive coherence things have for us when we find them and cope with them in our practical circumstances” (Merleau-Ponty, 2011).

He is arguing that the perception process is experience alone, that it functions independent of consciousness.

In more understandable words, when we physically experience things in the world this in turn forms the meanings we make for things. His words at this point begin to help me understand how a person’s perception can be solely changed by experience.

In my work I should aim to create a lasting memory that someone can actually feel, to give opportunity to change the persons perception going forward. “Being-in-the world means being situated. We are perspectival without being situated in any given perspective” (Merleau-Ponty, 2011) I think he’s suggesting we are in a constant process with the world around us whether we chose to try and understand it or not, it is happening.

I agree now that “we take up truths of fact and in carrying them forward and making them explicit, they become truths of reason” (Merleau-Ponty, 2011) meaning its essential I take Merleau-Ponty’s ideas forward within my approach to art if I’m to make sense of why I enjoy certain pieces and to make lasting work myself. These works will primarily rely on scale to to allow viewers to physically interact with, initiating the relationship with the viewer I want to build however, from a closer analysis of Pontys theory make me think of what other factors could be manipulated in conjunction with scale. The introduction of sound or more simply even bigger scale differences may be necessary if I’m to create a memorable moment in a world that is now so fast paced, unlike Pontys 1945 France which was a little different to the modern day.

The idea of procedure coincides and then influences my work and design method where in which the aim isn’t to simply induce a single reaction but allow the viewer to be part of the entire process. In Pontys words maybe “creating an opportunity to participate longer in the perceptual process.”

(Merleau-Ponty, 2011, pg.136) This has been important for my practise by manipulating scale, surfaces and sound I aim this even if it’s a few seconds more in the process.

Mueck, R., 2013. Woman With Shopping. [Painted silicone, fiberglass, synthetic hair, and fabric].

Stapleton,J., [Clay]

THIRDSPACE

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And Therrien, R., 2008. No Title (Folding Table Chairs, Green). [Paint, metal and fabric].

Title (Stacked Plates).

perspective that’s not usually considered.

Id say that this experience is more visual than emotional. When looking at the piece I questioned how limited my vision was in looking at artworks as I had never considered that a simple adjustment, viewing from a bird’s eye view, could be possible. From a personal standpoint I feel that this is an important dimension to investigate however, I find this one the least interesting as I find looking from above reverts me to my experience focused towards human geography/ town planning.

Going forward I will take this perspective change on board in the documentation of pieces. When scale is manipulated to bigger sizes, presentation from a bird’s eye view could be considered.

Therrien, plastic].

R., 2008.

Pots And Pans

Mueck, R., 2013. Woman With Shopping. [Painted silicone, fiberglass, synthetic hair, and fabric].

No 2.

[Metal

This brings me to the next artist of consideration, Robert Smithson. He presents to me a new idea of ‘land art’ a 1,500foot long counter-clockwise coil extending from the shoreline into the lake. Although the piece and artist have been subject to a lot of criticism what I want to focus on primarily is the way the piece can be seen, from above. The viewer must either physically get in an aircraft and look from above or more easily, use their imagination. Smithson is asking the viewer to put themselves in a situation mentally and take a physical

and

Ron Mueks deep ‘gut feeling’ emotional response he gets out of the viewer from varied scale is because “It makes you take notice in a way that you wouldn’t do with something that’s just normal.”.

Muek plays it down which seems to be a theme is most of his publicized interactions however I this its very important in the feeling his work gives.

The last point I’d like to touch on in relation to his work is that its so pulls you to the point in which you want to touch.

Obviously, you can’t however I like that the human mind pushes us to find out more information about the experience if presented in the right way. Id like to take this need to touch even further in my work by making it physical. The only challenge would be to keep the viewer pondering after crossing this boundary that’s usually in place when art is being exhibited.

2010.

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R., 2013) where in which you can empathize so much more with the lady as you can really see the sorrow in her eyes A newborn baby in the crucifix position seems to know more than me about our encounter and what seems like a working-class woman with her shopping has we wondering if its her fault she’s in this situation or if society had this written far before she went to Sainsburys.

Therrien, R., [Plastic].

Mueck, R., 1997. Dead Dad. [Mixed media

Brought to my attention in Will Self’s article on ‘Bigness and littleness’ was in his words, “quite a revelation” (Self, 2010) and in my words ‘completely amazing’. The detail of his works is what struck me most at first. Hyper realistic models with natural hair and a feeling that they might wake up any moment. What then happened was seeing the models in relation to the human body. Interestingly some pieces became even more important.

The first of these is dead dad which is actually 3-foot-long. “The model was so striking that I could feel the fragility and the morbid temperature of the body. The fact that he was naked and exposed to the fully-clothed onlookers made him look extremely vulnerable, and I felt a slight discomfort looking at him” (Wojcicka, 2010).

An onlooker captures the feeling the piece gives so well. I think the use of scale is effective in dead dad. It is a fully grown, dead person however you are made to feel bigger and older than the subject. The last time most people looked at anything humanoid and smaller than themselves was in their youth with barbies or action figures, yet we are now looking at a deceased man and familiar emotions are returning. Just the confusing passage of thought is enough to make this an experience of which is mostly emotional. Muek takes this emotional manipulation further using body language and facial expression which can be seen in Woman with shopping (Mueck,

Robert Therrien’s approach to art also plays on our emotions. Gargantuan tables and stacked plates make the viewer feel like they’ve stepped into the house of Roald Dahls BFJ or, what’s more likely, has sent us back to a past time when were small. These childhood feelings are what draws me to Therrien’s pieces. You can walk under his pieces or ‘all the way’ around them. You are forced to interact, forced to experience.

In contrast to this Therrin himself says that “The projects that are blown up in scale are about things that are thought of two dimensionally, and then inserting yourself into it, rather than having an interest in just blowing things up,” (Gopnik and Therrien, 2013). Its not a complete contrast but a truer reasoning to his methods would be to say he manipulates scale to allow us to rethink simple ‘2d’ situations and see them how he looks at them, ‘3d’.

Robert Therrien also highlights the idea of ‘the underneath’ in his table piece. This an idea I had thought of before this point and its interesting to me as it almost suggests another dimension. Considering the ‘underneath’ going forward the reverse of my pieces becomes all the more important as its another opportunity to take the concept further. It also makes me think about what angle the art should be viewed from. From below? In line? From above?

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Smithson, R., 1970. Spiral Jetty. [Basalt rock, salt crystals, earth, water].

Klein, Y., 1961. Planetary Relief “Terre� (Earth). [Dry pigment and synthetic resin on plaster mounted on panel].

Klein, Y., 1960. Hiroshima (ANT 72). [Dry pigment and synthetic resin on paper mounted on canvas].

Klein, Y., 1959. Blue Sponge. [Dry pigment in synthetic resin on sponge with metal rod and stone base].

2020. Design Realization. [Digital] Stapleton,J.,

To improve my understanding, I think further research into the phenomenology of perception I essential as I feel that I’ve only scraped the surface when it comes to understanding the process. In addition to this exposing myself to more artworks with my new understanding in mind will broaden my mind.

I feel I look at pieces differently now my own perception has been changed. I suppose this is what I want other people to feel.

Upon the completion of this portfolio I have explored aspects of deconstruction to the point where I would say I’ve built somewhat of a mental foundation upon which can inform my practice and concepts going forward. In contrast to where I began, I feel the use of scale can be used to much greater effect than I initially thought possible. I only thought of it as a means to

It may sound ironic or obvious but going forward I wish to simply make my work bigger.

The Larger I can make it the more emotional the experience will be bringing true engagement and importantly time spent engaging. I hope in the digestion of this portfolio you can understand why. I then want to invite more conversation around my pieces to see if they have been successful.

Success to me would be a lasting memory someone has after experiencing my work.

2020. Design Realization. [Digital]

The reason I state this is because I feel its important to explain which of my references were of best use for broadening my understanding of my own practice in order to continue forward effectively. For this reason, Maurice Merleau Pontys work stands out as I feel without a string understanding of the theory and thinking behind core ideas like perception its almost impossible to then apply this theory to your own work.

How can I propose an attempt to lengthen the perceptional process when I don’t understand what constitutes to the process in the first place? With my understanding now I realize this would have been both irresponsible and impossible.

In conjunction with the theory it helped me by having several artists whose work Pontys ideas can be seen in or help explain. Of these artists Yves Klein has been best in bringing my understanding forward. Like the other artists I have mentioned, Klein’s work manipulates scale in order to deliver an artistic message effectively however it’s his ability to transfer his concept across mediums that has really installed a level of confidence I have in my own desire to cross borders in the application of my own concepts. . At present my focus has been on garments however with this new direction I will explore installation and interior design as practices to apply my concept to.

confuse the viewer not appreciating the emotional effect it could have on humans which they carry forward. I now understand that what I want is to destabilize the viewers perception in order to make them more aware of the sensory experience.

This learned action can then be carried away with them.

Stapleton,J.,

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His array of vibrant monochromatic work is simplistic in its view which contrasts the depth of the concept and idea behind Yves Klein Blue that I love. Through an understanding of himself and what he wants to get out of art he has managed to build a color for which its application is endless.

I think this is most endearing in his sponge pieces. Now in much smaller scale when compared to his larger works the sponges challenged the already formed concept for both the viewer and Klein. This application and several others were the pieces most interesting to me as I loved that the ideas translated to different mediums so easily, something I’m trying to apply to my practice.

2020. Design Realization. [Digital]

Kleins then uses size to take the impression his work can leave further. Put simply, an a4 or even an a1 sheet of paper cannot compare to 20 foot pool. The concept is great, but the application of insane scale demands the viewers attention, forces then the utmost force to experience the piece.

This brings me back to MerleauPonty suggestion of “creating an opportunity to participate longer in the perceptual process” (Merleau-Ponty, 2011).

Without research on Klein’s work the possibilities for what Klein’s work could mean are endless. This

might explain why his huge works are able to encapsulate people for so long. They are big enough to draw your attention but simple enough to allow you to contemplate several options over a longer period. The use of color with scale intensifies the experience as it effects the amount if depth that can be seen in the work. This depth can intensify artworks which is the case with Klein.

Stapleton,J.,

Klein, Y., 1960. Untitled Anthropometry (ANT 84). [Dry pigment and synthetic resin on paper mounted on canvas].

In Robert Morris Size Matters journal, he critiques the use of size in conveying artistic messages. In reference to the work of Yves Klein, “huge-scale romantic art” (Morris, 2000). This was enough to convince me to delve deeper into his work, something I would not regret. The renowned French artist ultimately became famous for developing an intense shade of blue of which represented his spirituality, religious upbringing and natural elements like water and sky. “To achieve his signature pigment, pure, dry ultramarine pigment is suspended in clear synthetic resin and other solvents like petroleum. The key to the vibrancy of this shade lay in the colorless carrier, which does not dull individual pigment particles, but leaves them with their original vivid hue.”

(Invaluable, 2019)

My initial interest in deconstruction as a process led me to find a plethora of resources that would help me make more sense of what it meant. From this the idea of perceptional change was what interested me most and has been the basis of my research.

Bibliography

Clothes.

Invaluable, T., 2019. [online] Available at: <https://www.invaluable.com/blog/yves-kleinblue/> [Accessed 18 April 2020].

JOHNSON, C., 1994. Review. The Death and Return of the Author: Criticism and Subjectivity in Barthes, Foucault and Derrida. Burke, Sean.

French Studies, 48(3), pp.366-366.

Merleau-Ponty, M., 2011.

Phenomenology Perception. London: Routledge.

Of

Miller, S., 2007. Fashion as Art; is Fashion Art?. Fashion Theory Morris, R., 2000. Size Matters. Critical Inquiry, 26(3).

Noguchi, I., 1987. The Isamu Museum. New York: H.N. Abrams.

Noguchi

Garden

Stapleton,J.,

Hollander, A., 2009. Seeing Through Berkeley: Univ. of California Press.

2019. No Title (Mesh Pillow). [Spandex mesh and wadding]

Gopnik, B. and Therrien, R., 2013. If Gulliver Were A Conceptualist .... [online] Nytimes. com.

Available at: <https://www.nytimes. com/2013/07/14/arts/design/robert-therriengets-a-solo-show-at-the-albright-knox.html> [Accessed 18 April 2020].

Peck, S., 1982. Atlas Of Human Anatomy For The Artist. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Self, W., 2010. Will Self: Bigness And Littleness. [online] the Guardian. Available at: <https:// www.theguardian.com/culture/2010/aug/28/willself-bigness-and-littleness> [Accessed 17 April 2020].

Spivak, G. and Derrida, J., 1998. Of Grammatology.

Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Wojcicka, J., 2010. Discrepancy Of Scale: Ron Mueck. [online] Made By Many. Available at: <https://www.madebymany.com/stories/ discrepancy-of-scale-ron-mueck> [Accessed 18 April 2020].

JENNIFER MAVEN S/S 2021 F5.4.

Contextual Studies.

Jacob Stapleton.