Cluster 2

cluster 2: Cinematic Space
structure, scale, time

Mr. (Jeff) Koon’s theme is transformation, enacted literally with familiar restated objects in uncharacteristic material or scale. It is a basic Pop Art strategy….Ever since Jasper John’s flags and targets pointedly addressed the viewer with “things the mind already knows” much , maybe most art has set out one way or another to reach a broader audience more directly. The welter of strategies began simply enough with the elimination of the sculpture’s pedestal and the siphoning of images from pop culture….. Roberta Smith NYTimes 8.24.2008

Architecture creates space by enclosing it, Cinema creates space by framing it, making cuts in both space and time. Thom Anderson – film maker and critic
http://www.thefault.info/2/post/2008/03/post-title-click-and-type-to-edit.html


Overview:
Drawing on past explorations in art practice, this cluster looks at the transformations of everyday objects into something more. The Dada artists brought urban debris into their work, co-opting the “real world” into art making. Pop Art celebrated the everyday object in an attempt to collapse a division between “high” and “low” art. Cubism introduced the element of time making way for film, animation and eventually the suggestion of a captured moment in a series of moments that is evidenced in Cinematic Space stills.

Considerations of the Cinematic Space cluster are the transformations of an object from ready-made, to 2D (drawing/ writing/ photography), to small scale reproduction, to large scale reproduction, and finally as an element in the construct of narrative suggested by cinematic space. The cluster explores transitions of materials, dimensions (2D/3D), scale, and context.

Our primary process question will be how the transitions affect an ordinary object. Formal elements that will have barring on this cluster are: mass, both how it is constructed from planes and how it is affected by the space around it; weight and its visual engagement with gravity; scale and its affect on space relationships and context.

Components of the cluster:
2x2x2 small - Select an object from the Cornish environment to reproduce. Draw the form from many angles, looking for an understanding of the planes that make up the shape. Continue to make notes and drawings throughout this process. Recreate the shape in oak tag (file folder paper) on a small scale. (roughly 2x2x2 inches)

2x2x2 large - Reproduce your form in a large scale (minimum dimensions of 2x2x2 feet). This reproduction utilizes found recyclable planar material. Cardboard and other paper materials are ideal. Consider various surfaces (plain or printed) various textures (smooth, corrugated, etc.), and various weights.

Cinematic Space Option I: image sequencing, action narrative, constructed cinematic space
Cinematic Space Option II: contextual sequencing, action narrative, found cinematic space

Each option requires that you make sequence drawings placing your object in a place (fabricated or found) and employ movement of your object as a suggestion of time. Generally, if you are utilizing 2x2x2small, your space will be fabricated. If you use 2x2x2large, the object will move around from location to location. Each option develops a narrative (something happens...time passes…things change).

Documentation:
The moments in time developed in cinematic space are documented photographically and presented as finished work. How many images you require to convey your narrative is up to you. Printing of images will be covered in a Friday session.

Tools: paper and instruments for drawing, rulers, triangles, xacto knives, box knives, scissors, oak tag, tape of all kinds, glue, fasteners, found materials (cardboard / paper), digital camera, and other materials as needed.
Think about using the materials “at hand” in your everyday life. Materially this cluster focuses on “reuse and recycle.” These are restrictions that can push your creative thinking. Remember to be inventive with your process and trust what you know.

Artists for discussion:
Anish Kapoor, Claes Oldenburg, Antony Gromley
Ron Mueck, Tom Sachs, Andy Warhol
Jeff Koons, Jasper Johns, Marcel Duchamp
Louise Nevelson, Tara Donovan, Charles LeDray
Do Ho Suh, Tobias Putrih, William Kentridge
Gerry Judah, Carlos Bunga, Nathalie Djurburg
Lori Nix, Eve Sussman, James Cassebare
Lucy McKenzie, Paul Pheiffer, Robert Therrien

Guides to structure:
Folding Architecture: Spatial, Structural and Organizational Diagrams (Sophia Vyzoviti)
Supersurfaces (Sophia Vyzoviti)

Vocabulary:
plane – 2dimensional surface
mass – 3dimensional from having physical bulk
space – what lies between, around, above, below or within things. It can be actual or illusory.
scale – the size or apparent size of an object seen in relation to other objects, people, or its environment.
cinematic space – the relationship between time, space and narrative framed by a camera or other devise
context – physical, historical, cultural circumstances etc.
narrative – construct created to describe a sequence of events
framing - a technique used to bring focus to the context and subject
construct – reality as invented by the maker of an image, a narrative, or theory