Time, Activity, Process, and Documentation: An Exploration of Contemporary Sculpture and Installation Público

Alexander, Robin (2010)

Permanent URL: https://etd.library.emory.edu/concern/etds/st74cq64h?locale=pt-BR
Published

Abstract

I define a "process" as a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end, including a series of alterations and improvements that may occur naturally or synthetically. My understanding of the artistic process also has evolved during my four years in college. I have learned at Emory that one often needs to make large mistakes before he/she ultimately can create good work. This also applies to art historical writing. The process of deciphering who really has the largest influence on my work in sculpture is just as difficult as writing this thesis itself. I soon realized that it is artists who share their process in their work who inspire me. Discovering that I primarily value the process most has been a process and I plan to determine in this paper how and why the work of Richard Long, Christo and Jeanne-Claude and other contemporary sculptors reflect their progression and how their doing so inspires me. Wrapping trees and the distortion/regulation of nature comprises my process. In doing so, I try to emulate Christo and Jeanne-Claude by taking majestically large objects, things larger than my body, and covering, or transforming, them. Christo and Jeanne-Claude proved to the world that nothing exists that is so expansive that it cannot be "conquered" by art alone. Richard Long has also strongly influenced my work. Like him, I use natural forms and place them in inorganic settings. Long was able to illustrate for his viewers that the journey - in his case that long walks, taken to create the artwork, is just as, if not more, important than the finished product. I think that Long's emphasis on the process of creating artwork heavily influences my sculpture projects. These two radically different artists, however, act as inspirations for dissimilar reasons. In this paper I explore whether Richard Long, Christo and Jeanne-Claude are more similar than previously thought, despite diverse subject matter, material and scale, and explain how their processes of creating art have influenced mine.

Table of Contents

Chapter I - Introduction..................................................Page 1

Chapter II - Walking with Richard Long.............................Page 5

Chapter III - Wrapping with Christo and Jeanne-Claude.......Page 9

Chapter IV - Time, Activity, Process, and Documentation.....Page 13

Chapter V - Installation...................................................Page 21

Chapter VI - Conclusion..................................................Page 26

Bibliography..................................................................Page 28

About this Honors Thesis

Rights statement
  • Permission granted by the author to include this thesis or dissertation in this repository. All rights reserved by the author. Please contact the author for information regarding the reproduction and use of this thesis or dissertation.
School
Department
Degree
Submission
Language
  • English
Research Field
Palavra-chave
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor
Committee Members
Última modificação

Primary PDF

Supplemental Files