Tangerine sours

Rochester Institute of Technology

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2004

Tangerine sours

Gisèle N. Couturier

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Recommended Citation

RochesterInstitute of

Technology

A ThesisSubmittedto the

Faculty

of

TheCollegeof

Imaging

Arts andSciences

In

Candidacy

fortheDegreeof

MasterofFine Arts

Tangerine Sours

Gisele N. Couturier

Final Approvals

Chief Advisor:

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Name Illegible

Pnntname Signature

Date:

61

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Associate Advisor:

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Julia Galloway

Print name Signature

Date:

Associate Advisor:

Rich Tannen

Print name Signature

Date:

Chairperson:

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0

GEI(5

Print name

Michael Rogers

Signature

Date:

Gisele N. Couturier

.

.

I,

hereby grant pemussl0n to the Wallace Memorial

Library of RlT to reproduce my thesis

in

whole or

in

part. Any reproduction

will

not be for

commercial use or profit.

THESIS PROPOSAL

My

thesisworkwill exploretheuse oftheceramicobject asmetaphorfortheself. Dueto

my strong backgroundandinterest inscienceand_mathematics,I havea_tendencytoprocess

mysurroundingsthroughlogicalorder and pattern. Iam_{continuouslysearching for}this

orderand

trying

to_classifyandorganizedatasothatitmakessensetome.

Finding

this

order within_{chaos,particularly}inthenatural_world,is fascinating.

My

intention is to

referencethesebiologicalelementsinaformthathasacleardelineationbetween interior

andexterior. The dialogue betweenthe twoiswhere_{my interest}lies. Iwishtocreatean

experience fortheviewerthatreplicates_mysense of

discovery

withobjects;and,in turn,

DEVELOPMENT/PROGRESSION

OF

THE

WORK

Coming

fromanundergraduate experience

lacking

encouragement of content offered

opportunities forextensive exploration

during

graduate school. Before enteringgraduate

schoolIwas

fairly

committedto thevesselandtheuseofthewheelas_{my primary}tool. In

retrospect, I nowunderstandthatIwasdrawntocontainmentandthesenseofmeditation

inthe_makingprocess.

Immediately

being

freed fromthisworkatthestartoftheprogram, I

struggledto figureout whatIwantedtomake and whattheworkwas about.

Inthefirst_quarter,anassignmentforcedmetowork_sculpturallyon thewalk_removingme

from_mycomfort zone. Thisprovedtobea projectthatwould provide multiplelessons for

me. Itopened_mymind_up to_{using different}

building

_processes,thepower of_scale,and the

possibilities_{in working}with_clayonthewall. Iwasforcedtospendan entire quarter on one

idea,

makingthe samepieceover andover_{again,working}through thedifficultiesanddesires

toabandontheideaaltogether. Thiswas a good practicein seeingavision_{through, working}

out_{every detail}ofthe_piece,andone which mirroredthe thesisprocess. Themost relevant

discovery

thatcame fromthispieceIwas unabletorecognizeatthe

time,

thiswasthe

mannerinwhichIconstructedthepiece. Iworked_{extremelyrepetitively,making}thesame

smallobject overand_over,

building

_{up large}quantitiesofthese

building

blocksthatwould

create alargerwhole.

After workingthroughacouplebodiesofwork

dealing

withtopographicalmapsandthe

mountainouslandscapeof_my

home,

Iattemptedto_{focus my}work moreinternally.

My

places,thequietudeI found intheoutdoors,andtheempowermentIexperienced. Iwas

searchingforan objecttouseas a symbolof_{these concepts,}andIarrivedatthecanoe. The

canoeprovideda_wayof_utilizinganinteriorspace and_returningto thevesselwhereI felt

morecomfortable. AsI _concurrentiysolidified_myaestheticthroughother_courses,other

interestssuchas_{pattern, order,}and repetition madethemselvesevidentinthework. Still

dissatisfiedwiththis

body

of_work,thesummerprovidedtimefor_{reflection,preparing for}

thenextstep.

As Ibeganthe thesis

journey

inthesecondyear,Iwas awareof_myattachmenttotheideaof

containment andtheinside/outsiderelationship,still

feeling

as thoughthevesselmightbe

thebestvehicleforexplorationand expressionofthatdialogue. Theideaofthevessel

relatingtothe

body,

theinsideofthevessel_parallelingtheinsideofthepersonwasa_strong connectionforme. Itrepresented anemotionalorspiritual_containment,andthevessel was

holding,

protecting,orperhapseven

hiding

thesecontents.

Early

pieces were small

geometric_vessels,often

lidded,

with organic contents. Iwasreluctanttodepart fromthe

safetyofthis

form,

_{but committing}to thisformatwas_provingtobealimitation. Icameto realizethat theseideas couldbeexpressed

by

other means.

Embarking

onthisliberatedsearch,I foundmyself_makingorganic sculptural objectsthat

contained,andthathadaninside/outsidedialogue. A dilemmaarosewiththerealization thattheseformsweretooclosetoobjects_{existing in}nature. Althoughaware of_my

attractiontorepresentationin some_capacity, trompel'oeilwas not_myintention. These

It becameclearthatgeometricformswerethesolution. As mychoice ofform_solidified, the

conceptsfollowed. Stated in my_proposal,

my interest lied in usingtheformasmetaphorfor

self,aplacetocommunicatethemesofthehumancondition. Withtheprogressionofthe

work,itbecameevidentthat theexploration was

focusing

on oneideaatough,protective

exteriorwith amorevulnerableinterior.

Intheart_world,thehuman_{condition,specificallyvulnerability is}not unexploredterritory.

Working

withthemesofpsychological states for

decades,

Louise Bourgeoisexplains:

I am obsessed withhumannature. _{In mywork,}it's the_relationshipto the

other personthatmotivates me. ThehumanconditioniswhatIsculpt and

my formsemanate fromwithin_{my body.}

Mostrelevantto_myworkis her

"cell"

series. Evenher

titling

seems_{appropriate,using}the

term"cells"which canbe interpretedas microscopicbiologicalelements orprisonsand

cages. Thesepiecesare assembledwitha_varietyofmaterials;some

"cells"

employa

minimalist_{approach,presenting}alimitedamountofinformationtothe_viewer,others

consistof_manylayers. Eachpieceis concernedwith_providingtheviewer a window of

access,_makingthecontentsvisiblethroughan_openingor mirror positioned above (Castro

2001).

Incorporating

psychological

issues,

Kiki Smith examinedtheprotective qualities ofthe

human body.

Using

literalhuman_references,she made workthatspoke ofheremotional

andspiritual concernsandconflicts. Her earlyworkdealtwithinternalorgans,

fluids,

etc.,

and overtimeshebegantoexpand outwardtoexplorethe_skin,which she saw as the

however,

Smith learnedthat"it_{is actually}a_veryporous_membrane,

leaving

ourbodies far

more vulnerable thanwe_mayliketoimagine. Oursupposedbarrieragainstincursionsfrom

theoutside world...isin facta

highly

permeabletissue" (Posner1998).

Theacknowledgementofthisprotectiveexterior/vulnerableinteriorthemeprovidedthe

backdrop

toexperimentwith variouslevelsof_{accessibility}to the

interior,

whereIcould

createa_{pleasing discovery.} Inordertoaccomplishthiswithout_recreatingnatural

forms,

I

began usingorganicelementswithina geometric

framework,

_employingmyownsystemsof

pattern andorder.

Subsequentpieceswereboxescovered withprotective"skins". Surfaces resembling fish

scalesandturtle shells wereappliedtocubes. Abreakthrough occurred with anincreased

awarenessof_myworkprocess. The tedious,repetitivebehavior involvedwiththesepieces

providedthemeditationI craved.

Working

inthismannermadeperfect sense with_mylove

ofnumbers andobsessivetendencies. Italso allowed me tobuild largerscalepieces while

still_workingsmall. Thesepiecesfell_short,

however,

because

they

failedtogobeyondthe

surface,toshow what was

being

protected,to_{have any kind}ofinterior/exteriorrelationship.

Itwas_onlywiththe thesisworkthatI foundabalance betweenthetwo.

Thethemesof protectionandshelterthatIwas_exploringalsohavea

history

_{amongartists,}

presentinthe trademarkigloosthatItalianartistMario_{Merz began making in}thelate

1960's. He assembled structures_usingmetal_{armatures, netting, clay, glass, twigs,wax,}or

other materialsindigenousto thelocationofthe_galleryinwhichhewasexhibiting. Merz

nature_{(i.e, pinecones,seashells,}leaves).

Many

ofhispiecesincorporatedthese

images,

or

more_often,thenumbersthemselves (Celant1989).

Steve

Tobin,

_{working in}variousmedia,produced anumberofsheltersinthe 1990's. These

areratherlargeoutdoorsculpturesconstructedfrom manyrepeatedunits,frommedical

glass

tubing

toM-60 bullet-resistanttankwindows. Thesize ofthesculptures allows the

viewersto enter and experiencethemfromaninteriorpointof view. Artcritic

Nancy

Ptincethal likenedthe

feeling

insideoneofthesheltersto

being

insidea_{tank, in}a"position

ofsheltered

aggression"

THE THESIS EXHIBITION

Drop (10"xl0"x36")

isthefirstpiece completedforthethesisshow. This box form is

coveredwithapattern of_{spikyprotrusions,growing}

increasingly

largerand_pointingupward

as

they

gain distance fromthebase. Crackled insome_{areas,exposing}the_clay

body

underneath,the

dry

and_crustysurfaceappearstobe

flaking

off. Fromapaleyellow-greenat

the

bottom,

thecolorshiftsto_mossygreenthen toblue/blacktonesatthe_top,agradation

enhancingthedirectionofthespikes. Theactioncreated

by

thevariedpatterns offormand

color,pairedwiththepiece'splacementona pedestalof_{uncharacteristically low}

height,

promote a certainlevelof_{accessibility,}

drawing

theviewer

in,

and

leading

theeyetoapoint

ofinterest. Onthe

top

ofthe

box,

atthepeakoftheir

height,

theprotrusions_{begin curling}

inwardaround an_opening,asthoughahidden force is pullingtheminsidethebox.

Standing

overthe

box,

enticed

by

theintrigueofthe_opening,theviewer makes a significant

discovery

astheinteriorrevealsitself. Witha_{warm,radiating heat}and_glowing

light,

a

tunnel-like formaddsto themotionestablished

by

the_{spikes,moving beyond}thephysical

and metaphoricallimitationsoftheexterior. Connectionsaredrawn tointernalstructures of

thehuman

body

withthis_passagewaywhose end seemsindeterminable. Theviewer senses

thelifeand_{energy force}containedinthe

box,

concealed

by

itsunaffected exterior.

Spending

sometimeinthe_gallerypermittedtheobservation of

viewers'

reactionsto the

piece. Thevast_majorityofpeople reactedina rather physical_way first_movingcloserto

the opening,then

demonstrating

their

discovery

oftheinteriorwith abruptfacialexpressions

and

body

language. Surprised

by

having

anticipatedthecontents oftheboxbasedonits

8

find. Itwas

disappointing

toseethatsome peopledidnotgo closeto theboxat_all,butin

retrospect,perhapstheexteriorwas_{successfully serving its}purpose.

Unwilling

to takethe

timetoexamine

it,

theseviewers_{readily dismissed}the

box,

andtherefore,missedout onits

reward.

The

discovery

thatIwas_seekingtoaccomplishinthispiece_{is closely}relatedtoasignificant

influence,

Andy

Goldsworthy,

whose processandworkencompassthisidea.

Constancy

workingtogainabetter understandingof nature andhis relationshipto

it,

heapproaches

everypieceas a new adventure and potential

learning

experience. Hetellsa_storyabout

uncoveringvibrantred stonesintheriver nearhis home:

There islittle indicationthatredispresent andIworkedthere_{many times}

before

finding

it. Ithastobeprisedfromtheplace andisashock whenfirst discovered. Thatsuch anintensecolorcanbesohidden isareminderto lookbeyondthesurfaceofthings(Friedman

2000,

25).

Inadditiontothe themeof

discovery,

_myworkis _stronglyconnectedtohison multiple

levels. Hiswork ofteninvolves theuse of small organicelements (suchas

leaves,

_stones,

sticks)pairedwith repetitiontobuild largersculptures. Protectionandshelter are

reoccurringconcepts which examplesare numerous. Stonewalls conveymessages of

protectingcontents and

delineating

boundaries,

andlife-sizedstone chambers constructed

on

top

ofahillprovideshelterfromtheharshweather. Otherpieces experiment with

relationshipreversal,challengingprotective scenariosthatexistinnature.

Another contemporarysculptor_utilizingrelatedthemesis Sarah Lovitt. Agreatdealofher

work usesimagesofthe

body

asa means totalkabout_emotion,

layers,

andprotection. In

Thetensionis betweenthebreak inthesurface andthemuch moreserious

systems still

functioning

beneath. The

body

appearsimpenetrablebutit is

alwaysvulnerable.

Still,

withinits vulnerabilitytherearesystemsofresilience.

The_complexityofthesedelicate areasand theirlayers ofdefenseinspireand

moveme. Asmall cut mighthighlightthese

layers,

butthevitalsystems,like thecirculationunderneaththesesmall

incisions,

areburiedand protected (Honigman 2002).

The second piece createdfortheexhibitionis

Screen,

theinstallationofa massivebarrier

(S'xS'xl')

supported

by

metalgrids _spanningtwo

twenty

footsteelbeams. Fifteensteel rods

hang

fromthe_grids,each_piercingfifteen_{objects,creating}a wallthatdivides theexhibition

space. Theseobjects are_{spikyspheres,}eachofwhichhas an_openingon one_side,

permittingaglimpse ofits interior. Placedcloseenoughtogether togivethesenseofa

barrier,

thereis sufficient negative spacebetweentheobjectstoenhancevisual

interest,

while

also_allowingtheviewertoseethrough thepiece. Thegrid-likeplacementinstillsarigid

order,contrastingthe_{forms themselves,}whichareorganicwithsubtlevariations. A

variegated

dry

brownglaze creates an_earthyappearanceand unifiesthemultipleobjects.

Positionedontherodswith alltheopenings

facing

the same

direction,

theviewerisunaware

ofthe

interiors,

whichare protected

by

boththeir_group configuration andtheirpossession

ofspikes arrangedinspecific patterns.

Physically

_walkingaroundthebarrierallowsthe

viewertoexperience

finding

thevulnerableinsidesexposed. These interiorsare_slightiy

iridescentpale_pink,and_{mushy inappearance,}

bordering

oncarnalwiththeir referenceto

innards,

yet_undeniably

feminine,

soft,andtouchable.

Screencanbe linkedtotheworkofNeil

Forrest,

an artist with whomI feela

kinship

to

visually, conceptually,andthroughprocess.

Working

inamethodical_{manner, he}creates

10

installationwithsimilarities toScreen. Tocreatethis_piece,Forrestproduced vastquantities

of alimitednumber offorms

directly

_referencingnature,diseasedpineconesinthiscase.

Connecting

theseunitsinacomplex system ofhexagons usingsteel_wire,a

"thicket" is

createdthroughwhich otherlayers arevisible. Unitsontheoutsidelayer ofthepiece are

inlaidwith

intensely

coloredcellular_{patterns,providing}additionalinformationanda_sharp

contrastto thestarkwhite pieces_constructingtheinterior

(Beesley

2000).

MagdalenaAbakonowiczalsotouchedontheideaof protectioninreferencetothehuman

body. This isevidentinhersculptures

involving

rows and rows of_{empty headless}

figure/tree forms. KarolinaHiibnerwrites:

The empty husksofthesefiguresarean_{awaitingarmor,}asifourbodieswere

toosoftandvulnerable.

They

resemble piecesof_potteryorsnake _skins, shed andleft behind...Thesebronze figures look like Abakanowicz'searlier sculpturesin

burlap

and_resin,metamorphosed

by

their metal coating. Hard

and_massive,

they

appearlikeanadmissionthat the

fragility

exposed

by

the

burlap

bodies ispermanent andinevitable(2000).

Abakanowicz isalsointerestedinrepetition, thoughnot mechanical repetition.

Many

ofher

sculpturesinvolvearmies of

figures,

set_{up in}orderedrows. Thoughpartof alarger_group,

eachfigure has itsown_{characteristics,allowing it}tofunctionasanindividual inthecrowd.

Inanotherthesispiece,Structure

(18"xl2"xl2"),

twenty-eightdenseporcelainbonesare

attached atright angleswithballandjointsocketsingroupsof

four,

_creatingsquares which

are thenstackedto formacontainer. The identical boneseachhaveaballend and asocket

end,allowingthemtofittogetherneatiy. Thoughnotintendedtoreplicatea specifichuman

bone,

theirscaleand choice ofmateriallendsa certainhumansensibility. Rowsof single

11

toa squareribcage. Dueto thebulkinessofthe

joints,

negative spaces are createdbetween

thenarrowlengthsofthe

bones,

_providingvisual accessto thecontents. Theviewer_readily

seesthat thebox is filledwithmagnified redbloodcells,voluminousandsoftinappearance,

simultaneouslycontained andoverflowing. Thisconditionisamplified

by

the_varyingsizes ofthe_cells,which wouldallowsomeofthem to_slipthroughopenings,while others would

betrapped. Theirsurfaceisa softmatte pink_color,witha

juicy

red poolof glazeinthe

indentation,

creatingan effectivejuxtapositionagainstthepure whiteness oftheunglazed

bones.

The finalpieceisa secondbone

box,

no. 7

(8"x8"x8"),

_consistingoftwoboxesassembled

with repeatedvertebraebones. Theouterbox ismade_upof_equally sizedstoneware

bones,

attachedina gridlike

fashion,

witheachbone connectingtofourother

bones,

forming

a

six-sided cage. Thisorientationis farremoved fromtheirnatural existenceinthe

body,

_allowing

forabroadrange ofinterpretations. Thebones oftheexteriorlayerarelargerandrougher

intheir

handling,

with asurfacestainedwithwashes of_earthyred andbrowntones. The

exteriorprotectstheinner

box,

itsprecious andfragilecounterpart. Visiblethrough the

outer

layer,

thispurewhiteporcelainboxfloats

inside,

suspended

by

thinmicrofilament.

Thoughassembledinthesame_manner,its

tiny

components constructamuch _smaller,more refinedboxwithalace-likequality.

These lastworks share visual connections toAnnabeth Rosen's_work,bestevidencedin her

"cake tile"

sculptures. With hundredsof_pieces,she works throughaprocessof

firing,

12

into largergeometricforms_{resemblingthick,}sandwich-likelayered tiles. The resulting

ordered formsconsistofmultiplepiecesunifiedthroughtheapplicationof a

monochromaticsurfacetreatment.

Horizontally

oriented on metal

bases,

thetilesare

13

CONCLUSION

Having

hada chanceto _stepback fromtheworkand spend sometimewith

it,

Inowhavea

bettersenseofitssuccesses anddownfalls. I havea clearervisionofhow Isee thework

developing

inthe

future,

andIammoreaware of particular areas toimproveupon.

The issuethatneedsthemost considerationisscale. It is_admittedlyonethatI have

struggled with over_time,andit isa concernthatshouldremainintheforeground.

Shifting

thescalemore_radically,whether

increasing

or

decreasing,

wouldbe

beneficial,

_allowingthe

viewertoengagewiththework on morephysical andintimate levels.

Engineering

isanother areatobeaddressed. Variousmethods of constructiontoconsider are

designing

thepiecesas

interlocking building

blocks and

incorporating

a_varietyofother

materials. Alternative

hanging

methodsneedtoberesearchedaswell_{easingweight,}

moveability, andassembly.

Finally,

Iwouldliketoexplore other relationships notalwayssoft andvulnerable

inside,

hardandprotective outside. Therearemultitudes ofwaysinwhichwe existinrelationto

each other. As humanswe are not always_presentingor_perceivingourselvesinasingleway.

Opening

this_uptootherscenarios will provideendless_{possibilities,} furtherenhanced

by

an

14

Onapositive_note,Ifeelconfidentabout_mydeparture from thevessel. I discovereda method of_workingwhich _{fulfills my}needs.

Working

with multiples allowsmetoworkina

meditativemanner. Iam abletowork_{obsessively,concerning}myself withthenumber of

objects,and_organizingthem_{into my}own systems. Icanmakethingssomewhat

representational,yet nolonger isthere_anyquestion about_{my interest in}trompel'oeilorin

wantingto_merelyreplicate objectsthat_alreadyexist. Most

importantly,

I have developeda solidfoundationthatIcan continuetobuilduponthroughout_my

lifelong journey

as an

Works Cited

Beesley,

Philip.

"Hiving

Mesh."

http:

/

/members.rogers.com/pba.mc/teachmg/99231nvmgmesh/hivingmesh.html.

Castro,

Jan Garden. "Louise Bourgeois:

Turning

Myths InsideOut."

Sculpture

Magazine,

vol.

20,

no. 1

(January/February

2001)

http://www.sculpture.org/documents/scmag01

/janfebOl /bourg/bourg.htm.

Celant,

Germane Mario

Mer%

NewYork: Solomon R. Guggenheim

Museum, Rizzoli,

1989.

Friedman,

Terry. Time:

Andy

Goldsworthy. ThamesandHudson

Ltd,

2000.

Honigman,

AnaFinel.

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theSurface: A ConversationwithSarah

Lovitt."

Sculpture

Magazine,

vol.

21,

no.10 (December

2002)

htto://www.sculpttare.org/document5/scmag02/dec02/lovitt/lovitt.htm.

Flubner,

Karolina. "Difference andRepetition: The Latest Sculptures ofMagdalena

Abakanowicz."

Sculpture

Magazine,

vol.

19,

no.10 (December

2000)

http://www.sculpture.org/documents/scrnagOO/decOO/aba/aba.htrn.

Posner,

Helaine. Kiki Smith. Boston:

Bulfinch,

1998.

Whitney,

Kathleen. "Annabeth Rosen:

Camouflaging

theNormal." Ceramics: Artand

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38,

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Warmus. "Steve Tobin: The EventItself isthe

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