coming soon... Situation Destination

On June 1st I will begin installation of my latest large-scale piece. I will be transforming the Saul Alexander Gallery at the Charleston County Public Library downtown, and I couldn't be more excited. This will be the first time that I will have the opportunity to fill an entire space, without regard to other people's work. Granted, it's not a very big space... but it's just right for what I'm going to do. Below is my "statement" that went out in the library's press release for the show...

(scale model for Situation Destination)

Situation Destination, designed for the Charleston County Public Library, both conceptually and structurally, is the fourth piece in my ever-evolving body of large-scale site-specific installations, or “situations.” In my work I am very much concerned with surrounding spaces, and in cultivating, within these spaces, temporary experiences that engage the viewer on multiple levels.

Visually, I like to work with forms that are both interesting and appealing. The soft, undulating shapes tend to be biomorphic in design. Though they may resemble living organisms or forms found in nature, they are, at the same time, intentionally non-representational, leaving the viewer the freedom to make of it what he or she wishes. In contrast with the natural evocations of the form, the structure itself is constructed in a manner reminiscent of 3D computer graphics. Grid-like and rigid, it exposes the contrivance of the manmade, the fabricated environment.

I should note that I greatly dislike the term “viewer,” for my work is not designed simply for viewing. It is to be experienced, through active participation, which is why I much prefer to refer to such individuals as “participants,” “actors,” or just “the public.” So, in this sense, my pieces are physically stimulating, as well as visually, facilitating motion and movement throughout the carefully crafted space.

Several of the pieces that I have previously constructed have dealt with a physical notion of passage and happenstance. This “situation” that I have created for the library is more about destination. The library itself is a destination. You rarely just happen upon a library. Going to the library is a deliberate action, so for this piece I have endeavored to create a space that requires a similar activity. I anticipate that, perhaps initially out of curiosity, the public will make a decided choice to enter the installation, the “Situation Destination.” I like the idea that, if people respond positively upon their first encounter, this piece could also function as a destination to which to return. I see it acting as a haven of sorts. A place for folks to come and read, for children of all ages to come and hide out, a quiet escape, if only for a moment, from the commonplace.

bubble project

So Jarod and I have been busting our butts trying to get things figured out for this collaboration of ours. We're learning a LOT about what it's like to work with fabricators... so far lots of frustration! We're in this weird limbo between "make or buy," which I learned in my Production and Operations Management class (I'm also a business major) is the most critical decision a manager can make. Well... it's not an easy one by any means!


We've got a budget for materials built into the grant, but since we've yet to get any kind of quote from fabricators, we have absolutely no clue if we can even afford the prototype! For weeks we've been perfecting a version of this digital 3D sketch-up model (pictured above), from which a mold will be cut, using a CNC router. Then, from the mold, we will have a number of plastic tiles vacuum-formed into the shape. The tiles will be aligned and set into a grid system (built by us) to form an undulating blanket of sorts.


Ultimately, we would like to have over 300 tiles made... but that will require further funding, so for our purposes this summer we would like to have at least 4 made by the time of our presentation in August. That's not too much to ask, is it?! Let's hope not! But just in case... we have decided to take matters into out own hands for the time being. Until we get some kind of estimate, we will continue to work on building the mold ourselves. This process involves bouncy balls of varying sizes, plaster galore, and lots and lots of patience. But at least it means we get to make a mess... there's something very satisfying about that...

mm mm MARFA

I spent this past weekend in one of the most interesting of places... Marfa, TX.
Back in January, my professor, Jarod Charzewski and I applied for a CofC SURF (Summer Undergraduate Research with Faculty) grant. Despite the mounds of paperwork we knew it would entail we simply thought... why not? Our proposal was for what we called a "Collaborative Sculpture Project with Investigation into Minimalism." Both of us work within a fairly minimalist aesthetic, so we thought this a good ground upon which to collaborate. Oh yea... and we got the grant.

Though we spent several weeks pouring over books and vintage art magazine articles on the subject, we knew we couldn't properly "investigate" minimalism without visiting the "hub" of American minimalism itself... Marfa, TX. Back in the 1970's, artist and art critic Donald Judd moved out to west Texas. As Thoreau went to the woods, Judd went to the desert... to live deliberately. He wished to create spaces where his work (along with the work of several buddies among the likes of Dan Flavin and John Chamberlain) could be viewed as it was designed to be viewed... a place where the gap between art, architecture and landscape would be bridged... the result was the Chinati Foundation.

Judd said of Chinati...

"It takes a great deal of time and thought to install work carefully. This should not always be thrown away. Most art is fragile and some should be placed and never moved again. Somewhere a portion of contemporary art has to exist as an example of what the art and its context were meant to be. Somewhere, just as the platinum iridium meter guarantees the tape measure, a strict measure must exist for the art of this time and place."

Judd's aluminum boxes are a perfect example of this notion....

(fantastic photos by Jennifer Charzewski)

I should note that, though I had seen countless pictures in books and online of these "boxes," not until I experienced them in person did I realize what they really were. I was blown away by the fact that I previously had absolutely no idea that they weren't solid cubes. On the exterior, each of the 100 boxes is identical, but the interior of each is entirely unique. And the effect is utterly magnificent... as seen above. The object is only one element in the work as a whole. The architecture and landscape are absolutely critical. The piece simply couldn't exist without them.

And so, to Marfa we went... it was quite the pilgrimage and I believe I'm all the wiser for it (or something like that?) Well... I learned a lot. I saw a lot of great work. Ate a lot of yummy tacos. Met up with a pretty cool dude from Philly. Got a taste of west Texas. And though I could ramble on Marfa for pages and pages, about the breathtaking landscape, the expanse of the starry night sky, the awesome/weirdo Judd estate/kingdom, the absurd amount of hipsters, the blah blah blah.... it's time (literally) for me to get to working on this "collaborative sculpture project" of ours. We've got some neat things in the works... stay tuned...

(Steve experiencing some Dan Flavin)

desend ascend descend again

Our final assignment in Jarod's 'Public Art' class was to create and construct an "immersive environment" of sorts. I was initially thrilled, because this is the type of sculpture I've been so excited about recently, but I figured it's time for something new.... so in attempts to challenge myself and create a new type of "immersive environment," I have come up with this.

Basically, it's a model for something I'll probably never make. But a girl can dream, right? Perhaps it's entirely ridiculous and overly ambitious, but I'd love to be able to do something like this at Franconia Sculpture Park this summerrrrrr. Who knows?! The actual piece would be constructed of steel rebar and covered in concrete. The soft underbelly would (likely) be carpet padding manipulated in the manner I've done several times in the past, but sprayed with a white paint and protective weatherproof coating. I love the idea that it could be strong enough for people to climb on it... a sort of "stone mountain." Yet it's soft and inviting enough for folks to hang out underneath, have a picnic, whatever.

April 2010

model made of brazed steel wire, rockite, and tissue paper
approximately 2.5' x 2' x 1.5'

Franconia Sculpture Park: Artist Intern

I've got some super neat things doing down this summer... and this is one of them!! I'll be up in Minnesota from June 15th - August 15th, living and working at the Franconia Sculpture Park. As an Intern Artist, my responsibilities will include working the grounds/park maintenance, assisting the Resident Artists with the fabrication of their work, and creating/constructing a piece of my own for inclusion in Franconia's 2010 exhibition! It's already proving to be a much bigger opportunity than I once realized.

can you find my name?!?!

Situation Orientation

What an incredible opportunity... to actually get to make this... I think I've probably said that way too many times... but I really mean it. Its so exciting for me to see something like this come to life... especially after all the planning and troubleshooting that goes into it!
Back in February I walked into the Halsey with a notepad, a measuring tape, and a mission... and walked out with a vision. I know it sounds cheesy, but that's truly how it works. I was drawn to this specific space in the gallery and saw this cave-like form. I knew it belonged there. I knew what I was going to make.

Though I knew almost immediately what form this piece would take, the covering material was something to which I was never fully committed. I had various plans... animal intestines being one of them. But not until (at the very last minute) I started experimenting with a roll of cling wrap, at the off-handed suggestion of an on-looking professor did I know exactly how the piece would be finished, and what it all really meant to me.

As I've said before, I tend to start with forms and let the concepts cultivate from there. At first I had great concerns about the transparency of the material... but then I realized that the transparency is what this piece is all about. I've been working with these biomorphic forms (abstract forms that refer to or evoke living organisms), fabricating them in a manner that I believe to be evocative of 3D computer graphics (the sterile grid-like pattern). This form is soft and inviting, but its not at all place to hide, a place to reside (think hibernating bears). The City Paper said of walking through it... "the experience felt both intimate and exposed." Exactly! It's this idea of a false reality, a false sense of security... the transparency (and fragility), both literally and figuratively, of the fabricated "environment." Have I lost you yet?

April 2010

armature made of mig-welded 1/8 inch steel rod
covered with appx. 1200 ft of consumer plastic saran wrap
18' x 10' x 6.5'

Tower of Blobel

As soon as you walk through the doors of the Halsey, you are confronted with this piece, off-centered on the large white wall that welcomes guests into the gallery. Precarious as it is, this "Tower of Blobel" sits on a rickety cart-like pedestal on wheels, which, in my opinion, completes the piece, both aesthetically and conceptually. It's kind of funny how it happened...
I started constructing the piece atop of this cart (one of many that live in the CofC sculpture studio) because it was a piece that was built upon itself. It was also very fragile and easily dirtied, so it was important that I handle it as little as possible. I'd roll it around on the cart about the studio, over to the plaster station, back to my little corner, back and forth. Now, you'll notice the mess of plaster covering the cart... that wasn't there when I began. Constructing this "tower" proved to be a rather tedious, difficult, messy and horribly frustrating process. As many already know, in order to make each "blob" I filled condoms (yes, condoms) with wet plaster, tied them off like balloons, formed them into the desired shape, and held them in place until they hardened. Well... as the Trojan box warns, condoms aren't 100% effective... they DO break... hence the mess.

My plan was to build a tower of sorts, from the ground up... as high as I could go. But, due to the weakness of the latex, the fragility of the hardened plaster, the precariousness of the stacked blobs... I realized this was never going to happen. It was an unattainable goal. A true "tower of babel" type of experience. I felt on the smallest scale what those Babylonians must have felt on the most enormous scale... this feeling that despite all my efforts, I'm not in control. That there's a force far greater that deserves my respect, my honor, and my humility and without acknowledging that, all efforts are futile.

So, I submitted the piece on this cart for the sake of convenience, with the assumption that if it were selected it would then be moved to a proper white pedestal... but the curator, Mary Jane Jacob, liked the pedestal... thought the piece belonged atop of it. At first I was like, huh? But then I realized how right she was. The cart tells the story... it's evidence of the struggle... it adds to the instability... it completes the tower.... the tower of blobel...

March 2010

13 stacked plaster blobs
approximately 2.5' x 1' x 1'

Young Contemporaries 2010

Now on view, until April 27th... the two sculptures in the above photo are mine. What an incredible opportunity to get to exhibit in the Halsey's new gallery... SUCH a beautiful space! The opening last Thursday was rather exciting... especially because... um....

WOW... whaaaat? It was incredibly overwhelming. Still is. It's exciting to see people respond positively to my work. To watch people inspecting it, contemplating it, discussing it, experiencing it... that's the best part, I think. It's what keeps me creating.

Stay tuned for more words and images on each piece...
until then, check out the Charleston City Paper's review of the show!

Situation Orientation maquette

Situation Orientation... a work in progress

When I proposed this installation, I submitted a complete scale model (images to come) with explicit instructions as to how the piece would be assembled in the gallery space. I built the armature in the CofC sculpture studio and cut it apart into three pieces so that it could fit through the gallery's 8' x 8' doorway... darn doorways, always complicating things! Upon submission, the armature was complete and cut apart... ready for install. Once in the space and reassembled I would then adhere the plastic covering on-site.

What you see here is the reassembled armature, in its space, ready to be wrapped!

After hours upon hours of wrapping... it's nearly complete!

coming soon!

Get ready... next Thursday, April 1st, from 5-7 PM the 2010 Young Contemporaries exhibition opens at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art. The Young Contemporaries is the College of Charleston's annual juried student exhibition, showcasing the hottest young talent the school has to offer. This year, the show has been curated by School of the Art Institute of Chicago sculpture faculty member (!!) and curator of international fame, Mary Jane Jacob.

CLICK HERE to read a preliminary write-up of the exhibition from the City Paper

Selected works were posted this afternoon, and I am lucky enough to have 2 works included in the show... one of which was a rather risky submission... a large-scale, site-specific installation. But it was chosen, hallelujah! Installation will begin this Wednesday, and I'll be working on-site for the week leading up to the opening.

Here's a sneak peak... a preliminary model... a sketch of sorts. I've since changed some things, such as the covering material. I'll post photos of final model in time...

Lauren Moore: Visiting Artist

This past Friday I had the pleasure of visiting Professor Tiffany Silverman's Art Appreciation classes at The Citadel. Redux Contemporary Art Center, as part of their educational outreach program, is partnering with Mrs. Silverman to bring in local visiting artists to the classroom in hopes of exposing the students to the world of contemporary art that exists outside of the Citadel's thick, concrete walls.

For those of you not familiar with The Citadel... it is a prestigious military school, known for its strict rules and rowdy boys. Of course this is the stereotypical description, but then again, stereotypes don't come from nowhere! I currently live just blocks from the Citadel campus, and am lucky enough to be serenaded with their crack-of-dawn bugles and midnight revelries. Their fall-time football games and their Friday afternoon parades. A real treat indeed... ;)
Upon telling people that I was going to be the "visiting artist" for an Art Appreciation class at the Citadel, I was greeted with several similar responses. "They teach art there?" Who knew!

So, for my visit, I prepared a powerpoint presentation about my work. Mainly composed of images, it also contained references to several artists that currently influence what I do, and a few key elements about the "type" of sculpture I make (site-specific/installation/etc.).Their professor introduced me as a more "conceptual" artist, for what I assumed was because I do not work in classic materials and my forms are non-representational. I thought that was kind of interesting, especially considering the fact that in one of my very first slides I described my work as "form-driven rather than concept-driven." My "lecture" was preceded by a lecture on sculpture... a very broad overview of what sculpture is and a handful of artists who make it. The students were much more interested in the HOW than the WHY... which is right up my alley. They asked some good questions and I had fun answering them.

Then we jumped right into some fun, hands-on activities. I brought with me three blow torches, some bailing wire, and all the fixings necessary to hold a complete brazing workshop. Brazing (the joining of 2 metal wires with melted brass) is one of the first skills taught in an introductory college sculpture class, and it is a technique that I use extensively in my model-making. I helped each student (24 in each class... 48 total) make at least one successful braze, which anyone can tell you is not in the leas bit an easy task.

I must admit, I had a really great time! This experience has proved to be extremely valuable... having to get up in front of a room full of strangers and talk about my work has gotten me to contemplate and to process what it is I'm doing with this "art" and why. I really enjoy the classroom environment, and can see myself doing more of this in the future, be it as a visiting artist again, an instructor of sorts, or even as a college professor. Who knows!

Thumbkin Maquette

The CofC sculpture department has been lucky enough to score four $500 public art commissions for its students this semester. A competition will be held among all advanced students who will each submit a public art proposal, complete with budgets, drawings, and 3-D models. My proposal is geared towards the City of North Charleston's commission, for which the parameters are relatively boundless. Since it commands quite a bit of space, I would love for this piece to be able to live among the other large-scale sculptures at Riverfront Park.

This proposed installation is comprised of seven massive concrete thumbs, each depicting various stages of progressive motion. Crawling like an inchworm, the thumb comes to life as an object all its own. He becomes a character in his very own story. To further this concept of personification, the thumbs will be scaled up to human-size. No longer are they appendages, but bodies of their own. Those familiar with the childhood nursery rhyme “Where is Thumbkin?” should know that this song has served as a great source of inspiration for this body work.

February 2010

painted cast plaster thumbs, model grass, wood, wire
approximately 24" wide x 4" tall x 6" deep

Situation Ossification

I typically start with a shape, a form. Something nearly completely visual. Somewhere along the way the concept hits me... it's like "Ooooohhh, so that's what this piece is all about!" This time around it didn't hit me... I had to go hunt for it, chase after it, wrestle with it. Luckily I pinned it down just in time to get a title to Karen at Redux.

I'll try to spare you the long-winded attempt at an explanation....

os·si·fi·ca·tion (ŏs'ə-fĭ-kā'shən) n.
1. the natural process of bone formation
2. the process of becoming set in a rigidly conventional pattern, as of behavior, habits, or beliefs
3. rigid, unimaginative convention

To me, this piece deals with the issue of growing up. I'm not wanting to make a statement on the issue as much as I am an observation. So, the form is of a fluid nature. It's nothing in particular... but after seeing it up in the space, I liken it to several things often associated with childhood... tears, drool, a runny nose, you get the idea. Yet this substance (whatever it is) has been frozen. The steel armature gives it a certain stiffness, a rigidity, a pattern. It's been hardened... it's been ossified.

January 2010

steel, polypropylene landscaping fabric, light

CLICK HERE for many more photos of the exhibition and the opening

Now Showing!

The opening was a blast. Everything looked great.
I could get used to this.

stay tuned for an official piece post including many more words and images

coming sooner... (!!!)

Last Friday was the big move... and it proved to be much easier than anticipated, thanks to all my great helpers. I had nightmares of it bending, ripping, getting caught in tree branches... but luckily not a thing went wrong! We met at 10AM in the sculpture studio on campus, picked the thing up, and walked it down St. Phillips Street several blocks to Redux. It felt like a parade or something... but without the crowds and goofy music.

in the studio... ready for the big move

on the move.... see our reflection?

We made it to Redux!!
(Pictured with Karen Meyers, Executive Director of Redux...)

And just shortly after 12PM, the piece was up and hanging in place above our heads. Kind of freaky how things just seem to work out sometimes...

Just one more week until opening night! Maybe I'll see you there....?

coming soon!

It's good to be back in Charleston, and perhaps even better to be back in the studio! I spent the first week of winter break, and will now spend the last week, putting together my most exciting, most ambitious piece yet (or so I like to think)! I am so terribly thrilled to have the opportunity to be a part of Redux Contemporary Art Center's first show of the new year! 1x1 will feature works by the nine tenured faculty members of CofC's studio art department alongside with works by each professor's student of choice. I will be showing with my very cool sculpture professor, Herb Parker! Congratulations to all my talented colleagues...

Marshall Thomas
Matthew Bowers
Samantha Theall
Sarah Haynes
George Davis
Shelley Smith
Maddie Reyna
Liz Vaughn

With so many artists and so little space, we have each been given a 60" x 60" space in which to display one piece. Somehow, I've managed to bend these parameters... just slightly... ahem. So, yea, the piece I'm working on will be approximately 16' long, 5' wide, and 9' tall... but, of course, only 60" x 60" will protrude into walking space... the rest will remain above the viewer's head. I mean, "art is what you can get away with," right? Warhol wouldn't lie...

here's a little sneak peak... my maquette

Situation Manipulation Maquette

I've recently stumbled into to fun world of maquette making. More and more I've been finding myself stuck, picture in head, pencil in hand, and absolutely no clue where to begin. I have had the hardest time visualizing, in 2 dimensions, such fluid 3-dimensional things. So I've been left with no other choice than to construct. Using simple brazing techniques (learned in sculpture 1) I'm able to create a mini 3-D version of just about anything. It's great, really... to make a small thing... that I know, one day, will be real... not to mention real big! Here's the maquette for my recent piece, Situation Manipulation.

September 2009

made of brazed steel bailing wire, and newspaper
appx. 7" tall, 20" long, and 15" deep
scaled at 1" = 1'

Statement

A work in itself... and very much a work in progress. It's hard to write an artist's statement when you're in denial about being an artist. But it's been an extremely beneficial exercise. Makes me wish I was required to write about my work more often. Perhaps it's too playful, not serious enough... but I think it rightly represents how I feel about the things I make and about what art is to me, at least at this point in my life.

December 2009

I like amusement parks almost as much as I like to make things. The creative process is such a roller coaster. After experiencing all the ups and downs and twists and curves of all that goes into creating a finished piece, I often stumble off the so-called ‘ride’ slightly disoriented. Once I recover my equilibrium, I feel that childish urge to squeal, “let’s do it again!” And that’s exactly how I want others to feel after encountering my work. It’s about experience. I like to think that the things I create, especially my architectonic sculptures and installations, will cultivate a child-like enthusiasm in even the grouchiest of folks.

I am so impressed by, and will admit, my work is very much inspired by, children. They embody a sense of wonder and have a compulsive playfulness that is nowhere to be found among the bulk of grown people. At what point did we all become so uptight? Art, for me, is the force that yanks me from my comfortable routine, jerks me around, makes me nauseous, and yet keeps me begging for more. Thus the things I create are an invitation for you, if only for a moment, to loosen up, buckle up, and enjoy the ride.

Situation Manipulation

My most recent piece. Aiming to get out of my comfort zone, this is what I came up with. It's another tunnel of sorts. Walk through it, bend with it (if you're tall enough, that is). I designed it for this space, the CofC student gallery, which is where it's living for the time being. There's a chance it may get to make appearances elsewhere... keep your fingers crossed! I'm looking forward to using this technique more and more in the very near future.

October 2009

armature made from roughly 280 ft. of arc welded 3/4 in. rebar
covering made from roughly 120 sq. yd. of landscaping fabric (procured from the theater department) hardened with 4 1/2 gallons of polyurethane.

Hand Me a Biscuit!

I was really drawn to this position of the hand... a neat shape, I think. Decided to cast lots of them and put them all together in an abstract-ish piece. I had a hard time deciding how to display the hands for our class critique, but once I got them back to Atlanta, they quickly found their home on my mom's kitchen table! What a lively centerpiece!

February 2008

6 cast plaster hands (mine, of course!) stained with tea