Invisible city- Calvino: four different materials

Invisible City- this assignment required us to identify four different materials that convey something about the mood or tone of the Calvino City you chose. Make an exploratory work with each of those four materials in which you attempt to use and emphasize the material qualities to present that mood or tone to a viewer. If 2-D, these explorations need to be 8" X 10"minimum. If 3-D, these explorations must be no smaller than a 6" cubic volume.

Twin Cities: Sophronia

"The city of Sophronia is made up of two half-cities. In one there is the great roller coaster with its steep humps, the carousel with its chain spokes, the Ferris wheel of spinning cages, the death-ride with crouching motorcyclists, the big top with the clump of trapezes hanging in the middle. The other half-city is of stone and marble and cement, with the bank, the factories, the palaces, the slaughterhouse, the school, and all the rest. One of the half-cities is permanent, the other is temporary, and when the period of its sojourn is over, they uproot it, dismantle it, and take it off, transplanting it to the vacant lots of another half-city.

And so every year the day comes when the workmen remove the marble pediments, lower the stone walls, the cement pylons, take down the Ministry, the monument, the docks, the petroleum refinery, the hospital, load them on trailers, to follow from stand to stand their annual itinerary. Here remains the half-Sophronia of the shooting-galleries and the carousels, the shout suspended from the cart of the headlong roller coaster, and it begins to count the months, the days it must wait before the caravan returns and a complete li~ can begin again."

For this small works assignment I took materials that I had at home and through experimentation (how each one work with one another) I was able to create to small shown below. I experiment with pastel tissue paper (paper mache), India ink, bleach and salt, repurposed canvas with woven colored string, coffee wash, and wax drippings, and pastel with India ink and bleach drippings on Mulberry paper.

The two pieces I enjoyed the most was creating the one with India ink, bleach drippings and adding salt to it and the pastel tissue paper mache. This one was my favorite because of the chemical reaction that occurred as I was when I added salt to the beach, gave my pieces a visually interesting affect which gave texture to it. I had no idea  no idea using the combination of these three materials could create something so aesthetically visually appealing. I appreciated using chemistry to create this artwork. 

In addition, the paper mache piece I created using pastel colored tissue paper was pleasing to create because it brought back memories of creating collage's when I was younger. Using the paper mache technique I squished the tissue paper to give it texture and began layering them on top of each other over and over again. As the piece began to dry, I noticed that not only was the tissue paper drying with the texture I created but so was the paper because of the mache ( glue and water). Also, because it might be hard to notice I did embed recycled laundry cleaners plastic (used to protect clothing) within the piece but it got covered during the layering process. 

With this piece I wanted to illustrate how one of the half cities is temporary when its period of sojourn is over they uproot it, dismantle it, and take it off, transplanting it to the vacant lots of another half-city.

1. Rapid Fire Material Analysis

• What is your work made of?

Pastel tissue paper (paper mache), India ink, bleach and salt, repurposed canvas with woven colored string, coffee wash, and wax drippings, and pastel with India ink and bleach drippings on Mulberry paper.

2. Rapid Fire Formal Analysis

• Discuss the formal qualities of your work: i.e. principals of art and design

-Experimental mark making with India ink, bleach and salt

- Abstraction of line use using various colors of thread

- Rubbings/Stamping with pastel with India ink and bleach drippings on Mulberry paper

-Paper mache technique using pastel colored tissue paper (layering process) 

3. Interpretation of Contextual Referent 

• What context do the materials and form bring to your piece?

The context that the materials and form brings to my work discusses the two halves of the city Saphronia using: India ink, bleach and salt ( petroleum refinery that is removed), Pastel tissue paper (paper mache) (carousel, rollercoaster, carnival), repurposed canvas with woven colored string, coffee wash, and wax drippings ( illustrate how one of the half cities is temporary/uproot it, and transplanting it to the vacant lots of another half-city), pastel with India ink and bleach drippings on Mulberry paper (permanent portion if the city,peril, death, and danger). 

4. An Understanding of Place Through Conveyance of Mood

• What mood and sense of place does the work convey through your use of form and materials? 

The mood and sense of place that the work conveys through the use of form and materials depicts one part of the city Saphronia which is split between peril, death, and danger. The other half of Saphronia is made up of temporary lots. The part of the city that is permanent is made up of "Great rollercoaster with its steep humps" "Carousel with its chain spokes" "Ferris wheel of spinning cages" "Death ride". The temporary half of Saphronia is composed of stone, marble and cement, bank, factories, palaces, hospitals. This part of the city expresses removal, dismantlement, and uprooting.