03.11.21

I've wanted to start thinking of my work as accumulation using purposeful objects but instinctual placement within a space as a nod to my clay project last year. I plan to play with space once I have a thorough collection of works and found objects that work well aesthetically and contextually together. These accumulations will consist of my ceramic work, aroma work, twine work and dyed fabric pieces that I've just made. I wanted to use large fabric pieces as a base for the accumulation as It was something that worked very well for me in the past. The main purpose was to experiment with what I can do with dyes from a material viewpoint as a way to bring colour into my work and create something like a theater set backdrop enhancing the overall experience by allowing you to be immersed within the work. 

 
When thinking of the use of sets in art the work of Robert Rauschenberg comes to mind and one my favorite pieces of all time 'Minutiae' which was created as a stage set for Merce Cunningham dance company's premiere of a dance by the same name. The piece embodies material experimentation by using a lot of different materials like oil, paper, fabric, newsprint, wood, metal, and plastic in an unpurposful way. The use of space and the performative origins of the work is also of interest to me and my work as I like the idea of potentially using my work as apart of a performance in collaboration with the dance or theater departments.

Robert Rauschenberg Minutiae 1954

Robert Rauschenberg

Rauschenberg’s art has always been one of thoughtful inclusion. Working in a wide range of subjects, styles, materials, and techniques, Rauschenberg has been called a forerunner of essentially every postwar movement since Abstract Expressionism. He remained, however, independent of any particular affiliation. Rauschenberg famously stated that “painting relates to both art and life,” and he wanted to work "in the gap between the two.” Rauschenberg questioned the distinction between art objects and everyday objects, and his use of readymade materials reprised the intellectual issues raised by Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain (1917).