Sculpture Project-

My initial thoughts towards a public sculpture was something that most people could relate to. It would have to be something both captivating and relatable to a wide age range. I also had ideas for it to be interactive in a way. I wanted to create a highly reflective or mirrored hashtag, this being something that we perceive the world though now and even ourselves though, hence the mirrored surface allowing for a literal perspective though the lens of social media. Belfast is an extremely popular tourist destination so having a large hashtag could be something that would attract some social media attention and or remind people to share their visit to Belfast. My second idea or developed idea though the sculpture is to have white paneling on both sides as shown. This would allow for local business, schools and organisations to pay for their hashtag to be put onto the sculpture, not only would this be publicity for the smaller businesses in Belfast but it would also pay a lot of money towards the sculpture.

I drew up the sculpture in a drawing program and added it into the location I think it would look best in. Not only would this give you a reflected view into central library it would also be an interactive sculpt in a busy part of town (therefore it would get a lot of traffic and notice). I think that this idea would captivate people due to its relatable and simple message but it would also pay for its own commission while helping the businesses and local organisations. I thought that the sculpture would be best made from a reflective metal that would be weather proof to prevent rusting or damage. The hashtag would stand at 10 feet tall and 10 feet wide making it a standout sculpture without it taking up an overwhelming amount of space. These dimensions would also allow for it to be safely interactive.

My Own Paper Model-

I made a series of identical paper nets and connected them with hot glue to create a replica of my design. it stands at 10 inches by 10 inches and is very simplistic but it definitely gives a good idea of what this drawing could look like in a 3d form.

Artist research

Sir Anish Kapoor-

Kapoor is one of the most influential sculptors of his generation, due to the diverse range of approaches he used to develop interactive and engineered public art. His works differ vastly in terms of scale, Cloud gate being an example of one of his larger pieces, this contrasts with some of the other mirrored art he places which is merely a fraction of the size. His approach often differs from piece to piece, warping the metal to a free engineered shape or keeping the piece very plain with shapes such as circles. He is known widely for his art that blends in with its environment despite it being in such different areas such as forests and in the middle of cities. The use of concave and convex mirrors allows for the illusion of his work to shine even if the areas for such work vastly differ. His work provokes a sense of confinement and isolation within ones self while also opening up a space to a lot more than would have been seen originally. His work is something that we have all seen and I really admire the use of mirrors and making art that seems to vanish in such a large space. For a sculpture project I think the idea of using mirrored surfaces is a great idea as it challenges an interaction with the viewer.

Michelangelo Pistoletto-

Pistoletto’s stainless steel pieces are particularly captivating to me. He tries to convey both his own opinion about life and perceptions along with ideas of theories. His works combined both installations and an interactive art form.  His work mainly deals with the subject matter of reflection and the unification of art and everyday life. I find that the combination of paint and illusion along with the perceivable truth of a mirror to be a fascinating subject matter and therefore I find his art to be particularly captivating. He describes the viewer and mirror together as nothing more than a person in a preexisting space yet when images and paintings are added to the reflective surfaces a different environment is created all together and the person becomes a part of that art space and even part of the piece itself. I think that this interactive quality between the viewer and art is something that I think many of my favorite sculptures possess.

Candy Chang-

Chang envisions the future of ritual in public spaces when creating her work, some of her most notable being the before I die piece which shows an interactive chalk board, a sculpt that involves the public directly. Her projects examine the dynamics between society and the psyche, the threshold between isolation and community, and the role of public space in an alienating age. Her works have been replicated and recreated in many different countries, due to the impact that they have with grappling mortality and a sense of forever together into a collective piece. Her work has been noted as some of the best interactive public art in the world. I really love her ideas of a sense of foreverness or a standing that lasts longer than that of mortality. I think that having a sculpture this interactive is almost creating a safe and sacred space within public art which in of itself is largely challenging public art as a whole.