Graduate Work 09/2011—06/2012 CAFA, Beijing, China
冷
境
MONO-ICE
Here is my graduate work. What I study is coldness. Humanity is complicated and capricious. What we can see is only a tip of iceberg, while the part hidden behind our skin is invisible and mysterious, they are expected to explore. I made several brooches and pendants, which look like pieces of ice. They float on wearer’s body, as icebergs floating in the sea. Viewers can imagine what hides behind them.
The shape
The shape
Shapes with clear edges and corners make people feel cold; especially those with sharp edges, while a round always make you feel smooth and warm. A horizontal line gives you a peaceful and wide feeling. A vertical line is like a lonely person or, maybe a Gothic architecture. An oblique line has a strong unstable feeling. A line in a three-dimension space always has a moving hint. When gazing it, a viewer may want to explore into that space.
The shape Not only can a concrete shape express coldness, but also virtual space. Works of Minimalism inspire me because many minimalist artists study on virtual space, such as Donald Judd and Dan Flavin. Donald Judd’s work, Untitled/Stacks (1968) consists of ten stacks. The same form repeats ten times, with the space between the units the same as the space occupied by the units. Flavin’s lights make environment around them become part of his work.
The shape Here are some drafts. I study virtual space by focusing on the following two points: the virtual space of every piece of jewelry and the other one is how to make people feel the tip of iceberg is substantial, while the hidden part is virtual.
I tested people by showing the “tips� and asked them which one is colder, and then I put those colder pieces into a box, while put other pieces into the other one.
Drafts and joints of pendants
Metal part behind the brooches
My bench
The material
George Segal (American,1924-2000). The Holocaust, 1982.
George Segal was an artist who experienced the Holocaust during World War II. He liked using plaster to shape his figures. This kink of material used by his hands owned its blue soul. I can perceive the sorrow around his works.
Nathalie Perret Plaster Untitled
Reference During the period of creating my graduate work, I also studied on Mono-ha. Mono-ha works are as much about the space and the interdependent relationships between those ‘things’ as the ‘things’ themselves. Making the viewer become aware of his position in relation to the work is also something which the Mono-ha artists aimed for. I also want to make the wearer become aware of his position in relation to the jewelry; make them realize that they are part of the invisible iceberg. Another character of Mono-ha is the power of material themselves. Mono-ha artists always use the types of material as fewer as possible, in order to express their artistic conception purely. In my work, I also consider how to use fewer kinds of material to make people feel nothing but cold. At last, I find out that you can only approach infinitely the cold state, but never reach there. It is hard to test.
1
2
1. Nobuo Sekine Phase_Mother Earth,1968 2. Lee Ufan Relatum,1968
The material
Material has its own language. Ice, plaster and resin are considered to be used. At last, I did not use ice because Ice will melt when wear it. What I pursue is absolute coldness. I also abandoned resin because quality of resin in china is bad. The material I uesd finally is plaster. It is the dental one, which is harder than other types.
The texture
I made the original shape of plaster by chance. After solidifying, it was cut by saw. I keep the texture of surface to the end, since the texture is similar to it of iceberg. Drills were also used to hollow out the inside part.
Diagram of glacial plucking and abrasion
The color
I choose white and blue. The white like snow and the blue like ocean. I use water color because I have tested many kinds of pigment and water color has the best fluidness in water. The color of blue float down along the texture when I cut the plaster with saw.
1
2
1.Tarja Tuupanen UntitledďźŒ2009-2010 2.Aline Berdichevsky Reconstruction
Reference
1
3
2
4
1.& 2. Junya Ishigami Table, Chair 3.& 4. TokujinYoshioka The Second Nature
The show
I wanted to have a long narrow desk, made by stainless steel, and then I did it. The relating artists I admire are Junya Ishigami and Tokujin Yoshioka. Their works also inspired me on the aspect of exhibition.
The show
Thank you.