Thesis Proposal
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Laurie Ihlenfield
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9/19/2012
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Laurie Ihlenfield
Ric Petry and Michael Goodson
Thesis Projects 1
26 September 2012
Thesis Proposal
In
my second semester project I explored the gridded structure of the city. I discussed the cube as an escape of the
harsh reality of life (war, sickness, decay, etc…). I used thread and fabric to illustrate the
pattern of entropy and growth found in the city. I discussed the tension between the quest for
balance and order in the city and the reality of the tendency of nature toward
disorder.
Man
clears away land to build. Nature grows
back. Buildings fall into disrepair. Man
rebuilds and repairs the city, each time adding to the framework of the city. New structures are added. Style and
ornamentation of a period reflect the ideals of the period. Old thought is declared wrong and new
“truths” are ushered in just as structures and styles come and go. This updated city creates an interesting
juxtaposition of both old and new thought and old and new architecture. Religious, political and social ideals change
through time. I find this interesting as
truth remains. Seeing the odd
juxtaposition of the cathedral next to the modernist skyscraper is a
fascinating reminder of change in values.
This
odd juxtaposition of old and new is what I plan to focus on this semester. As I worked on my project last semester I
began to appreciate the city as this fascinating yet bizarre collage of
architecture, nature, and ornament. Each
building is a testament to the ideals of the era in which it was built. As I thought about my new project I began
researching the interaction between man and the physical reflection of history,
production, society, and culture on the environment man creates to live and
work in. In researching the ornamental
compared to the sociological aspects of the city I read selections from artists
Robert Smithson, Stephan Willats, and landscape architect Charles Jencks. All provided groundwork to begin research for
my project.
I
read Smithson’s writings with regard to entropy. In reading the piece I connected to the idea
that the physical city is a reflection of the mindset of the city. Smithson wrote of the city as a representation
of current thought in art and architecture gleaned from the actual structure
and condition of the physical city itself.
Smithson’s city was barren of expression. He wrote:
“This “City” performs no natural function; it
simply exists between mind and matter, detached from both, representing
neither. It is, in fact, devoid of all
classical ideals of space and process.
It is brought into focus by a strict condition of perception, rather
than by any expressive or emotive means.
Perception as deprivation of action and reaction brings to the mind the
desolate, but exquisite, of the empty “box” or “lattice.” (Smithson)
I think that the architecture and ideals of
the soaring cathedrals give way to the “empty box that Smithson speaks of. The
idea of form takes over the idea of expression.
The
cathedral represents to me a structured religion while the steel skyscraper
represents a denial of spirit and a fascination with the machine. Seeing the two opposites standing next to
each other in the city is interesting to me. Smithson speaks of two cities, one
a mental image of the ideals of the city and the other the physical city
itself. In Smithson’s mind the two were detached in the modern city. As I see
it the city was a physical representation of the soul. It was unconnected to concept and ideals as
was the modernist thought. It was a city that concentrated solely on form.
My
project and my research will investigate the interaction between my physical
work, the mental impact of the “city” of which Smithson speaks (the ideals of
the city), and the physical city itself. Smithson was a catalyst for thought on
my project. I began the concept for this project through my fascination of the
structure and ornament of the city. I realized
the city itself (its physical makeup) is a representation of the overall ideals
of the city. I find Smithson’s combination
of the new modernist buildings sitting next to the ornamentation of old cathedrals
and institutions to be intriguing as all tell a story of the city and the
mindset of its inhabitants.
Landscape
architect and writer Charles Jencks refers to the cold and impersonal modernist
architectures “devoid of classical space and process” as,
“inarticulate
building, so intent on the purity of its language and the perfection of its
solution that it ignored the particular needs of its clients, the social
significance of given buildings, in short, the whole question of decorum, the
suitability of artistic means to ends.
Ornament, it turns out, is crucial to some of these ends: “there are a
number of practical necessities that ornament is uniquely able to satisfy. The most obvious is the need for identification:
telling people what an object or building is, or what purpose it is
intended…Ornament makes places legible.” (Steiner, 117)
Ornament provides not only a physical reading
of the city but an historical reference of it. As architectural styles come in and out of
vogue, so do the societal ideals and beliefs.
Romanticism gives way to modernism which gives way to post-modernism.
In
my thesis piece I plan to use mixed media, mainly sewing, to introduce the idea
of the city as a collage of various periods in history. Each period in history is representative of a
particular way of thinking. Buildings
such as the gothic cathedrals of the Romantic era reached for the heavens and
sought to inspire those who were seeking spirituality. The skyscraper was an emblem of commerce and
capitalism and a testament to success.
The two sit side by side in the city in this odd juxtaposition of old
and new ideals and architecture.
My city is to be a mixed media, predominantly sewn,
piece that weaves architecture and ornament throughout. At the moment I am
thinking it will consist of large scale-pieces that the viewer would walk
through. I chose sewing as a means of
expression for this project as it has a long relationship to ornament. Sewing
is a private and personal way to create an intimate expressive space. Placing the sewn work on a gridded structure
provides the mix of impersonal functional space (as in Smithson’s city) with a
more private human expression through ornamentation. This is representative of the mix of ideals
and physical structures that make up the city and tell of its history.
I
will research the history of ornament to gain further understanding of the ideals
that formed the signs and symbols of the city.
I believe Ornamentation in modernist architecture has in more recent
history been thought of as a bourgeoisie excess. It seems to me the tides
turned and ornament began to return through the use of modern materials in
buildings such as the Phillip Morris AT&T building and the Harold
Washington Library in Chicago. Likewise
ornamentation began to make an appearance in the art world.
Harold
Washington Library
I
am looking to several contemporary artists.
Many don’t share my aesthetic but evoke similar thoughts. The artists I have looked at most recently in
relation to my work are Judy Pfaff and Dana Melamed. Both are creating complex
compilations of materials in three dimensional spaces. Each shares interesting
observations through their art.
In an interview
with Richard Whittaker, Judy Pfaff shares the relationship of her observations to
her art. She says, “The
finished piece always feels like evidence to me—summations of what I’ve been
thinking about.”(Whittaker) In the same
way I plan to use my art as a “summation” of my thoughts on the complex
juxtapositions of both the physicality of the city and the sociological nature
of the city as seen through ornamentation.
Artist
Dana Melamed uses the structures of the city to portray a menacing view of the
city. An article in Art News Magazine had this to say about Melamed, “The
artist’s imaginary, yet all-too-real, dystopian cityscapes are visions of an
urban environment that continually destroys itself even as it is being rebuilt.
“(Levin, 125) I see the cityscape as an environment that continually evolves.
Each new era adds to the cityscape through ornament and architecture reflective
of the collective ideals that comprise that culture. I do not see that evolution as being solely
“dystopian”. I see that evolution as
evidence of the ideals of man physically expressed in the spaces he creates as
old thought gives way to new. The one constant is change. Although man changes styles and ideals over
time, and builds and rebuilds, real “truths” remain.
Diana
Melamed, Magnitude of Change, 2011,
Transparency
film, Cinefoil, wire, paper, ink and acrylic
on
aluminum mesh, 30” x 18” x 7”. The Lobby
Gallery.
Additional Artists
Kirsten Hassenfeld
Louise Nevelson
Sarah Sze
Bibliography
Adamson, Glenn. Thinking through Craft.
Oxford: Berg, 2007. Print.
Levin, Kim. "Dana Melamed: The Lobby
Gallery." ARTnews Summer 2012: 125. Print.
Smithson, Robert. "Entropy And The New
Monuments." Robert Smithson. Estate of Robert Smithson, n.d. Web.
Mar.-Apr. 2012. .Unpublished
Writings in Robert Smithson: The Collected Writings
Steiner, Wendy. Venus in Exile: The
Rejection of Beauty in Twentieth-century Art. New York: Free, 2001. Print.
Trilling, James. Ornament: A Modern
Perspective. Seattle: University of Washington, 2003. Print.
Richard, Whittaker. "Interview: Judy
Pfaff: The Interior Landscape." Works and Conversations (1995): n.
pag. Conversations. Works and
Conversations. Web. Jan.-Feb. 2011.
Willats, Stephen. Between Buildings and
People. London: Academy Editions, 1996. Print.
Production Plan
September:
Art: Experiment
with materials.
Research Paper: Continue reading to add to proposal.
October:
Art: Develop small sketch for piece
Develop base structure for work to hang panels from
Revise timeline as necessary based on sketch
Research Paper: Create
research paper outline. Continue research
November:
Art: Construct
and add to panels
Research Paper: Continue research and writing
December:
Art: Continue to add to piece
Research Paper: Complete Rough Draft
January - February:
Art: At this time I plan to have the base hanging
structure and panels complete. From
January through February I will add finishing touches
Research Paper: Continue to revise and complete rough draft
March:
Hang work and complete
paper
Budget
I have purchased $86 in
supplies for this project so far.
I am budgeting for the
possibility of the following future purchases:
Organza for the base of the panels – ($6.50/yard) x 4
each 4’ x 8’ panels = $78
Thread and notions $30
Fabric Stabilizer ($25.99 per 12” x 9’ roll) x 4 = 104
Lumber for hanging structure $100
Total: $398
