Wonder Yuxin Tang | Portfolio
My current project explores dark natural spaces, with interiors that contain hidden structures; spaces that are waiting for people to explore what is hidden inside. I want to recreate the astonishing feeling of seeing bizarre geological structures. I explore this through clay sculptures and more recently through tonal drawings. Caving is a kind of challenge and thrilling activity, fraught with danger, but the satisfaction that caving brings me is huge. I love the feeling when I use my feet to walk through unknown areas and use my eyes to discover the beauty I have never seen before. This is the feeling I hope to evoke through my sculptures. Through hand-modelling clay I mimic the textures of mountains, caves, and rocks which formed naturally, their structure contains a certain rhythm. All of these elements make caves beautiful and mysterious. In response to this natural beauty, I have created a series of miniature "clay caves". I find that clay is an ideal material to achieve my intention because clay is also a huge part of the earth's surface, which gives it the same quality of wildness. My work remains unglazed because I want to keep the natural qualities of the clay; the grog (silica or sand content in the clay) remains visible. When producing my pieces, I tend to focus more on the interior part and try to make it as exciting as possible, while I minimize the exterior to attract people to realise the hollow spaces within Earth.
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Tenglong Cave, Hubei, China
Different rock textures appear on one wall.
The main reason why caves are formed is that water has been rushed through it for hundreds of years. The textures of caves are the tracks of water. Sometimes water might drip from the ceiling, which forms the stalactite. Sometimes the mineral contained in rocks gathered up so that orals have born.
Stelectiles.
These are the factors I refer to when I am making my own works. Desert Roses.
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Working in a two-dimensional form, I explored how to use colours of different brightness to create a depth of the caves. The translucence of watercolours has the ability for overlapping colours. and can create the feeling of uncertainty in caves. When doing the drawings, I focus on the contrast between light and dark. The light coming through cave holes that lights up the interior is fascinating. The strong comparison contrast of light and shadow creates an atmosphere of mystery. In my drawings, I left some part on my paper blank, while darkened the dark parts to create the "light source".
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1.Grow out 2.At the very bottom of the cave 3.Pole 4.Mushroom rocks 5.Exit
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More drawings
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I recalled the experience of walking inside caves and finally find another exit. I drew down this feeling in a two-dimensional way. I have imaged that when I observe from one hole on the surface of my works, I can see other exits that can let me out. Later I transformed this from a two-dimensional drawing and surface into threedimensional sculptures.
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The cylinder one is a finished work. With the curved surface, we can observe the inside in different directions. The method of making this is through press moulding, and before the mould closes up, I add those disc clay pieces on while the moulds were still wet. In order to keep my audience 's attention to the internal world. There are no decorations on the external side. The geometrical shell and the varied internal structure form a strong contrast, which enhances the sense of surprise when observing the interior
Pictures of the perspective through a hole
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I intend to make a cube and a pyramid shape. Unlike the cylinder one, these two shapes have straight edges and flat surfaces, so they have can be placed in many different ways. The watercoolour drawings show an 'x-ray' viewing of the internal world.
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Making the geometrical shapes has such a different feeling from exploring the random interior structures. It requires the knowledge of controlling the clay to make sure it is correct and precise.
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A sample of the physical book.
This book is about my current project, it is a part of my work, so I want the book itself physically to have a connection with the project as well. I leave the cover page blank, but only a hole on the it. Through the hole, you can see a part of the image of the internal world, just like how you see through the holes at the actual works. You can see the full image by flipping over the cover.
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