Reconstructing air

Theses

Thesis/Dissertation Collections

2000

Reconstructing air

Mathieu Poster

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Recommended Citation

A thesis Submitted to the faculty of the college of Imaging Arts and

Sciences in candidacy for the degree of Master of Fine Arts.

Reconstructing Air

By Mathieu Poster

Chief Advisor

Associate Advisor

Associate Advisor

Leonard Urso

Luvon Sheppard

Da.te;b2 -

7-200

(j

=

Date74~d

Date

z-d/oO&

Chair Person

Date

I prefer to be contacted each time a request for reproduction is made. I can

be contacted at; 298 Curve St. Carlisle Ma.

01741

and

Section

;

1

)

Illustration

list

2)

Thesis-

Pg.I-12

3)

Illustrations

-1-14

4)

End

notes

#1-Chinese

Shang

Dynasty,

White Jade

Tsung,

12th-11th century (Bib.

#1)

#2-Personal

Photos,

BangkokThailand

#3-Personal

Photos,

Bangkok Thailand

#4-_Joan

Fitzgerald,

Cavallo Greco

(Bronze,

50cm)

1979 (Bib.

#4)

#5-Nancy

Rubins: Airplane Partsand

Building,

A largegrowth for San Diego

Sept. 23

1994-May

1st 1995 (Bib.

#7)

#6-Dennis Oppenheim: Power

Fingers,

from thefireworks_series, 1983 (Bib.

#7)

#7- Untitled- _{copperandbrass wall}

piece,

30"

#8-Untitled-mild steel, stainless,copper,

brass,

42"

#9-Untitled-copper, aluminum, stainless,

brass,

7'

#10-Untitled- copperand brass wall_piece, 20"

#11-Untitled- _Oil

paint, aluminum, brass 4'x2'

#12-Untitled- _mild

steel, aluminum,

brass,

stainless, copper, 8'

#13-Untitled- _mild

steel, copper,

brass,

stainless, 10'

In thispaperIwill describe the worksthatform _mythesis. Iwill discuss the

influences on_{my works,} the ideas behind_{the works, my} process of_creating the

works, andgive an explanation ofhowtheworks have progressedand evolved to

more

fully

represent_{my ideas.}

The bulkof_my final work consists offourmediumto largescale _sculptures,

three wall pieces andthreepaintings.

Many

oftheideas forthis work stem from

earlier worksIhave

done,

which wereinfluenced

by

_mystudies inthearts of

Asiancultures. These earlyworks were inspired mostly from formal elements

found in_simple, ritual_artifacts, spiritualsymbols and architectural elements. I

foundthat these simpleforms were_easy tomanipulateandchange tocreate

abstractsculptures, _usually

differing

insizeas well as materialfrom theoriginals.

The firstofthesesymbolswas fromthe

Shang Dynasty

in

China,

ajade

carving labeled Tsung.

(Ill.#l)(l)

This form hasa cylindrical centersurrounded

by

square components. I_enjoy this simple contrast oforganic material and geometric

design. Its actual ritualistic use is unknown, butsimilar pieces of_varyingsize

were used in burialchambers, along with other symbolslaid throughout the

tomb. In some instances jadewas fashionedinto smalltiles and connected to

usedtoseal theorifices oftheburied. Jade wasbelievedtohavesupernatural

qualities and was valued foritsdurability.

(2)

Some of_myother ideas camefrom theThai spirithouses Isaw while

traveling

insoutheast

Asia.(Ill.#2,3)

_{These veryornate,} open-air structures are

placed outside ofhouses and

businesses,

_{usually before} constructionbegins.

They

arecovered with offerings of

flowers, food,

water and

incense,

andare intendedas dwellingsforspirits. The

theory

goes that

by

_providing a place forspiritsto

live,

they

will have no reasontodisturb you

by

living

inyourhome. This is

desirable,

especially ifthespiritsare_evil, and_{would, therefore,}

bring

bad luck.

(3)

These

structurescome in many forms andstylesbut usuallyare comprisedoffourpillars

with anornate _roof, sometimes cornered with carved

"Chofa"

(

translatedinto

'sky

tassel

'(Ill.#2)(4)

or

'sky

hook'). Theopen-air construction ofthe structures allows

thespiritsto comeandgo as

they

please butalso acts to attractthemand

keep

them

inside withthe

tempting

treats left

by

the living. It isthe overalldesign ofthe

structuresthat Ifound

interesting

andthatinfluencedthe ideas fortheouter

structuresof_my sculptures.

Inmuch of_mynew workIhaveexpandedthese symbols and structures into

pieces that commentmoreonthe abstractformal elements thanonthesheer

physical construction ofthem. Ihavereinterpretedthese conceptsin large scale

steel and copperforms. Eventhough theoriginal shapes ofthesymbols no longer

I'mcreating.

Complementing

theconcepts stated_above, Ialso

keep

in mind the ideaof

airas a mass. This idea cametome not_only through theexperienceofthings in naturebutalso through_mytravelsand art

history

experiences. I learnedabout Asianaesthetic and sculptural _{presence, particularly} theidea thatemptiness isas importantas theopposite.

...thenature andfunctionofemptiness and its

flip

side, fullness ofbeing...Emptyness is not _merelya neutral space _serving todefuse theshock without _changing the

nature oftheopposition. Itis thenodalpoint where potentialityand

becoming

interweave.

(Francois

Cheng)(5)

Thisconcepthas led metouseair as partofa structure or emptiness as a

part ofsomething-ness. Theidea is thata volume ormass existsbefore it is

covered with_something physical,somethingthatcontainsthe air. Ithinkofitas if

the air_already hasshape to it. I justcreate a volumeto caress

it,

holding

it

immobile,

butalso_allowing ittohave the illusionoffree movement.

Someotherinfluences I have hadthroughout _mycareer come fromuseand

applicationof materialsfromvarious_contemporary artists. Some oftheseartists interestedmeinthe _way

they

_physically put theirworkstogether.

workiscast. Sheuses stripsofwaxin an additive processto_{build up} a given

work. Thisadditive process is achieved

by

_overlapping partsto incorporate space

into the_work,suchas inher_piece; Cavallo

Greco, (Ill.#4)(6)

Iamalso interested inartiststhat usefound andindustrial objectstocreate

large-scale work. These artistsinclude: Arthur

Ganson,

a kinetic sculptorfrom

Boston,

Installationartist

Nancy

Rubins, (Ul.#5)(7)

and Dennis

Oppenheim,

an

artist who uses industrial andfoundobjectstomakeconceptual works like

ParallelsBetween

Machinery

andthe Human

JBody.(Ill.#6)(8)

Ifindthis pieceto

be

interesting

_{mostly because it}considers some ofthe issues Ideal with

formally

as well as intellectually.

Many

works

by

Moholy-

Nagy

(photographand

sculpture),

including

his Light

display

mobile

(9),

possessvisual elementsthat

seem tohavethesameopen and simple form as_my work. In my_opinion,many

ofthese artists share a

Constructivist/

Abstractionaspect to their work. Ihave

labeledthis aspect,

"industrialism",

in termsof_my own work.

The idea

basically

uses industrial_{materials, mainly}neworused_metal, to

create abstract artforms. Theviewer recognizes andunderstands the materialsbut

sees them inunfamiliar constructions created

by

anotherhuman.

They

arephysical

manifestations oftheartist's ideas. Itis this whichhelps toevokedifferent

emotionsand memories within theviewer. Works thatmightfitinthis _category

typically

aredisplayed in alternative_spaces, like oldfactoriesand warehouses or

Another basic ideaof_myworkisthecombination ofindustrialelements

interacting

with organic elements andthecontrast thatis theresult. Thisconcept

came from

living

in the_city as achild and_seeing trees that interact with_nearby

irongates andfences. Over

time,

the ironspikes and railssometimesbecome

imbedded withinthe

living

tree.

Scaleand viewer interactionareimportantpsychological factorsin my work.

Though many 'Industrial' artists workinmonumental_scale, Ipreferhuman scale

toencourage theinteractionofthe viewer andthepiece. Thetwoexisttogether in

thesame environment. Theviewer takesthevisual elements andreacts from

personal, past experiences andideas. Tomethis interaction is what makes a piece

successful. Iftheviewerrelates ina positive_way whenconfronted with a work or

the workholds theviewers_attention, if_onlyfora_{moment, then} Ifeel theworkis

successful. Itisthathint ofrecognition and impressionthafs exciting.

The ideas behind myrecent _work, although_simple, cometogether ina

dynamic way.

Many

people who view_my works askif

they

arerepresentations of

totems, but I always_sayno. The questions areunderstandablebecauseofthe

verticality andthe suggestionof afigure orspiritwithin theform. Butlike _many

of_my

influences,

I disregardand changethe_spirituality ofthe original symbols to

concentrate on physicalformand shape.

Each piece that I created in thisserieshas twomain _parts, an inner

hammered copper sheet andformedround. Ithen _overlap parts and putthem

together

by drilling

holes _alonga given seam and _attachingthem with brass bolts. Iusedtocreate these

by

_{randomlyadding} segments until Ifelt thepiece was

complete.

But,

over

time,

Ibegantomake paper_models, enlarge theminto

cardboard models anduse these as patternsfor_cutting thecopper sheet. Thebolts Iuseinthese inner 'figures'

are_usually sizedto be halfthe inside diameteroftheform. This isfortworeasons. One

being

thatforpractical

purposesone musthave the_ability togetthebolts and nutsinthe piecewithoutthe bolts

hitting

endtoend. The second reason fortheextendedbolts is more of an

aesthetic one. I not_onlypreferthe bolts tobe longerthan_necessaryas a visual

element, butthe extensions alsoact toexaggerate theconnectionpoints ofthe

overlapping pieces.

These elements

imply

theconstruction ofthe

form,

butalso

imply

the

feeling

of pinsorribs that_visuallyseemtoassist in securing airwithin theform.

(Ill.#7)

The _overlappingcopperis left with_many open spacesthroughout the

form,

again _adding to the_abilityof airtoflow within. This is

frequently

called

negative_space, butthatseems too passive a conceptto me. Theseopen areas are

importantphysical elements withineach piece. This issort of an unseen and

abstract concept,

but,

likethe wind, airflows inandoutofthe piece

becoming

The secondpart of each sculpture istheouter structure . Ibegan

by

using

steelflat stock. _{This is usually one quarterinch}

by

_{two to three inches}

by

the

length I wantedeachsculpture'sheight tobe. Iwouldhot bendthese rails where

they

attachedto the squaresteel _piping that formthe structuralbases.

(Ill.#8)

The

rails wouldbend outwards(at roughly aforty-five degree _angle), runstraight_up

themain

body

ofthe_sculpture, and bendback inwardas

they

metthe steel pipe at

the

top

ofthe structure.

Originally,

Ibenttheside rails toaddvolumetotheinside

of_{the structure,allowing} the

feeling

of spaceand freemovementforthe 'figure'

within.

However,

I begantofeelthat theouterstructurelackedenough_{rigidity in}

visual terms. Thereseemed tobetoomuch space inside. So I began using straight

railsto_conveya stronger

feeling

ofa support structureandnot abird _cage, or

prison. The ideaforthiscamefromharnessesthatvictims of spinal injuries wear

to

keep

theirheads immobile.

Iattached therails ofthe outerstructuretothebaseswith extendedzinc

coatedsteel and/or stainless steelbolts. These bolts extendedoutwards,unlike the

bolts inthe inner 'figure'.

They

becamespikes thatwere avisualelementthatI

likedand which also referencedbackto the

'Sky

tassels'

idea from theThaispirit

houses.

Having

thebolts _coming outofthe piecealso gave the_necessarycontrast

to the inner

figure,

whichhas onlythe caps ofthebolts showing. Eventhough the

innerfigureand the outer structure aretocometogetheras one piece _{I enjoy}

therail's surfaces were

basically

sanded toreveala_{clean, steel-gray} color. This

created a contrast to thefleshtones onthe copperinnerfigure.

When Iattached therails flushto the sides ofthesquare

bases,

itgave the

piecethelookof acage insteadofsupport structure. This wasnot whatI_wanted,

soIincorporated theuse ofcopper and aluminum spacers to 'suspend'therails

away fromthebases. Imilledout thecenter of shortlengths ofroundstock and

placedthembetween therails andthebasewithbolts running through them. This

hadtwo goodeffects. Onewas that the sidesnow seemed more like_railings,

addingnegative space to thestructure. Thesecondwasthatthe

top

pieceofthe

structure now seemedto

levitate,

eventhough

intellectually

and_physically you

couldsee itwas still attached.

Solving

theproblemof_putting the 'figure' insideofthe support structure

was an_evolutionary process.. Iwanted toplacethefigureina _waythatmade it

seem free floating. The firsttime Iusedthreadedrodsfisheddownthrough the

figure and mounted onto aplate weldedto the

top

ofthesquare pipe. Thiswas too

dramatic a connection. The figure seemed tooconfined orrestricted. Ithencame

upwith theidea of

having

the figure

hanging

fromthe

top

pieceofthestructure. I

made asupport bracket hiddenon the inside ofthe figureand usedthreadedrod

throughalengthof aluminum

tubing

toattachit to the

top

piece. The aluminum

was light incolor likethesteel, so whenthe viewertookinthewhole_piece, the

down

into,

addedto the illusion that the figure wasina state oflevitation.

Thepiecethat Ifeel best expresses _{my ideas} forthesculpturesistheone that uses_mostly aluminumforthe outer structure.

(Ill.#9)

Aluminum hasa

softer,colder lookto the_surfaces, butalsohasthe benefitof

being

lighterthan

steel. It'salso much easierto work withinterms of ease of

handling,

surface

finishing, drilling,

andassembly. Surface

finishing

wasaccomplished_verysimply

by

sanding thesurfaces in anorbitalpattern which resulted ina _white,almost

frostedlook.

Ultimately,

the aluminum structureshavea muchcleanerlookand

feel. Thisadds considerable dimensionto theindustrialconcept.

Due to the_slender, verticalheight of_{these works,} Ineededa _wayof

securing themand

keeping

themfromtoppling. Thiswasboth apractical and safetyconcern. So Imade base floorplates out offlatsteel platewith pipes welded vertically toacceptthe bottomofthe squarebasesonthesculptures. Thisallowed

the sculpturesto bestablewhile

being

freestanding.

Moving

each onehundred poundplus sculpturebecameeasier, because each onebroke down intomultiple

pieces. Ithen hadeachbase Powder

Coated,

an electro_plating process which makesthemmoredurableandable tohandle theoutdoor elements.

AfterIcompleted some ofthese sculptures Idevelopedsome ideas for creating wall pieces.

(Ill.#7,

10)

Ifashionedfivesmaller scale pieces made inthe

same _wayastheinner figuresofthe largerpieces minus thesupport structure. I

certainlydidn't needthe additionalsupports.

I likedthese wall pieces but I don'tthink

they

were asdynamic in reality as

they

werein my mind. Alone

they

seemed_emptyor out of place. Butamongstthe

other_{sculptures, occupying} thesame _space,

they

seemedtomake more_sense,

almost likea _studyofthe final idea.

Ispent moretime

dealing

withthepatina or_coloringofthe wall_pieces,

mainly because theviewer wouldget closerto these and would_studythe surfaces

more closely.

Using

a _soldering

flux,

a boraxbased_paste, gavethe wall pieces a

hardierredandblackpattern. This isachieved

by

_way of

brushing

the paste _on,

firing

each piece_evenly toahot cherry redina

furnace,

andthen_{quenching in}

water. Thisleft the pieces with a

fleshy,

muscular

look.(Ill.#10)

Sometimes it's

difficulttogetthesamelookon each piecebutthisrandomness ofthe color

seemed_only tobenefit the overall lookof eachcompleted piece.

Minoring

in paintingaddedto _{my interest in}colorfor_mysculpture.

Having

been influenced_greatly

by

CubistandAbstract_painters,Ihadthe desire to

incorporatepainted representations of_my sculpture work withinthefinal _grouping

ofworks.(m.#ll)

Being

mainly concerned with colorandline in _paintingthis_group of_works,

Iused colorsthatcorrespondedwiththecolors inthe sculptures. I built upa _play

of warmcolorsthatflowedaround_{strong edged,}

darker,

coolcolors. I

dimension. This

directly

referred to the sculptures'

lookandfeel. Iwas also

attempting to

imply

theideaofthecirculationofairbut in amoretwo

dimensional language.

Ifeeleach ofthese pieces work well togetherin a _{galleryspace(Ill.#14),} but

Ialsofeel thateach piece stands on itsown_merit, independentofthe group.

Many

ofthepieces have beenmovedto outside

locations,(Ill.#12, 13)

andI feel

they

work as welloutsideas

they

do ininteriorspaces.

All ofthesteel outer structureshaverustedto an evenrust colorandthe

innerfigures are

beginning

to turnanoxidized copper green.

(Ill.#13)

Ifindthis

transformation exciting,

because,

even thoughIcompletedthe works

treating

each

surface a certain _{way, the}pieceshave takenon a lifeoftheirown. Through

natural, physical change

they

have becomea part of natureand are_continuously

changing with theelements.

Having

thesepieces outsidechanges the ideafromair

living

withinthe pieceto theair and wind

literally

flowing

_{thru, moving,} and

becoming

part ofeach piece.

Working

inthe arts isa constant

journey

thatconsists of_creating physical

representations of

ideas,

ideas_{that, many}times, come_{subconsciously}and even

unclearly. This is thechallengethat drivesthe artist,

interpreting

personal

perception and

intellect,

while

trying

toinspire others tosee the world around usin

adifferent light. It isour missiontoencouragetheviewersto relateina _way

they

Art isthe_wayto the absolute andto theessence of humanlife. Theaim ofartisnotthe one-sided

promotion of_spirit,soul and_senses, butthe _opening

of all human

capacities-Thought,

feeling,

will-_{to the}

liferhythm oftheworldof nature.

t

I

/

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V

/.

I

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2

m

11

mm

m

1

r;

1

Thesis By:

Mathieu

Poster

College

of

imaging

Arts

and

Science

Rochester Institue

of

Technology

Thesis

Committee:

Prof. Leonard Urso

Dr.

Thomas Lightfoot

'* J-l* _?

VIP

y>k

hf

.#12

:'

l)Mary Tregear,

Chinese

Art,

New York: Thames andHudson

Inc.,

1993. P. 35-36

2)Mary Tregear,

Chinese

Art,

New York: Thames andHudson

Inc.,

1993. P.35-36

3)Mike

Williams,

Spirit Houses in

Bangkok,

Thialand, (c)

1999

http://home.elp.rr.eom/mataort/spirit.htm.P.l

4)

John

Hoskin, Bangkok;

Thailand's

City

ofAngels,199l

Passport

Books,

LincolnwoodIllinois pg.72

5)Kenneth K.

Inada,

A

Theory

ofOriental Aesthetics: A

Prolegomenon,

Philosophy

Eastand

West,

Vol.

47,

Number 2 (April

1997)

P. 117-131

(c)

By University

ofHawai'i Press

http://ccbs.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/jr-phil/kennth.htm

6)

Joan

Fitzgerald,

XXXIII ANNI A VENEZIA Antologia Di Scuultruew.

1960-1993,

Ateneo San Basso Piazza San Marco Venezia. Dal 26 Agosto Al

7)Museum of

Contemporary

Art,

Blurring

the

Bounderies,

Instalation Art

1969-1996. Edited

by

Anne

Farrell,

San Diego. 1997

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http://www.geh.org/fm/amico99/htmlsrc2/moholy_sum00004.htm

GEHNEG:8121

10)Bruce Lee,Tao ofJeetKuneDo. Santa

Claita,

California,

1)

Mary

Tregear,

Chinese

Art,

New York: ThamesandHudson

Inc.,

1993 2)The _{Metropolitan Museum}of

Art,

_TreasuresFrom theBronze AgeofChina.

A Exhibition from thePeople'sRepublicofChina. New

York,

Ballintine

Books,

1980.

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Arnason,

History

ofModernArt. New

York,

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Inc.,

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Cliffs,

N.J. and

Harry

N.

Abrams,

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Joan

Fitzgerald,

XXXHIANNIA VENEZIA Antologia Di Scuultruew.

1960-1993,

Ateneo San Basso Piazza San Marco Venezia. Dal 26 Agosto Al 22 Settembre 1993

5)Kenneth K.

Inada,

A

Theory

ofOriental Aesthetics: A

Prolegomenon,

Philosophy

Eastand

West,

Vol.

47,

Number 2 (April

1997)

P. 117-131

(c)

By University

ofHawai'i Press

http://ccbs.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/jr-phil/kennth.htm

6)Bruce Lee,TaoofJeetKuneDo. Santa

Claita,

California,

Ohara

Publications,

Inc. 1975

7)Museum of

Contemporary

Art,

Blurring

the

Bounderies,

Instalation Art 1969-1996.Edited

by

Anne

Farrell,

San Diego. 1997

8)George Eastman

House,

Still

Photography

Archive,Lasz/o Moholy-Nagy. (c)1999 George Eastman

House, Rochester,

N.Y.

http://www.geh.org/fm/amico99/htmlsrc2/moholy_sum00004.htm

9)Dynamic Movements:

Constructivism,(c)

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http://library.thinkquest.org/17142/dynamic-movements/constructivism.htm

10)Constructivism:Pub\ished

by

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http://ukdb.web.aol.com/hutchinson/encyclopedia/85/m00133585.htm.

ll)Mike

Williams,

Spirit Houses in

Bangkok,

Thialand, (c)

1999

http://home.elp.rr.com/mataort/spirit.htm.