Final Assignment for Extended Media Development
1. General
Idea
My Final Major Project is about the metamorphic
life cycle of humans and how it relates to nature.
I am exploring the physical features of the
human face, using my own as the example. I find this interesting because people
see and interact with my face every day but I do not. Over many years my face
has slowly changed. When I die, my face will be drastically different from how
it looked when I was born. As with humans, time affects all things, including
animals. Looking at the life cycle of a butterfly shows how not only their skin
but entire body changes, as they progress through the four stages. I decided to
use this example as an analogy to show that my face is constantly morphing and
how various people will see it differently.
I have used my blog to thoroughly document my
process and the progress of this project. My main source of inspiration was Johnson
Tsang but I also heavily referred to the works of Gregos, Kip Omolade, and Barbara
Beranek.
2. Steps of
the process
2.1
Approach 1
Definition
My first experiment involved using a mould to
create a plaster mask of my face. I wanted to show the relationship between man
and nature by combining two different elements; plaster, and leaves. To achieve
this I lined the mould with leaves from the park. Then I poured the liquid
plaster into the mould, on top of the leaves.
Evaluation
Experiment:
The process was difficult because I had to mix the plaster of Paris with water.
This resulted in many attempts to achieve the correct ratio. I was also
restrained by the amount of time until the plaster set. Sometimes it would
begin to solidify in my mixing basin and became nearly impossible to pour.
Media/Technology:
The combination of leaves and plaster looked great. The solid, smooth, brittle,
white surface of the plaster was a great contrast with the organic, tactile,
curly, ochre toned leaves. Unfortunately, I didn’t fix the leaves with any
sealant so they became a bit mouldy after a few weeks.
Progress of
the idea: The main line of composition for this work was texture. The surface
achieved this with its mingled layers of plaster and leaf. It has a great
appearance and gives the cast face an intriguing combined look of man and
nature.
2.2
Approach 2
Definition
My second
experiment was an attempt at using paint to infuse the plain white colour of
the plaster with a vivid display of colour. I was hoping to capture the swirls
of pigment in the viscous medium of the liquid plaster before it could set.
Evaluation
Experiment:
After pouring the powdered plaster of Paris into my tub of water, I began
slowly adding blue acrylic paint. As it entered the solution it retained its
lines and layers, rather than dissolving or dispersing equally.
Media/Technology:
Once the plaster had set I could see that the paint had mixed nicely with the
plaster. The mould had retained layers of the original white colour that
gradually blended into lighter and darker shades of blue.
Progress of
the idea: I wanted to test whether colour would work as the main line of
composition. Physically it was a great success and I was pleased with the
general appearance. However, in terms of my project, I felt that there was not
enough substance behind simply mixing paint with plaster. Nevertheless, I stuck
with the idea of colour and later applied it to the surface of my casts.
3. Turning
points
Solutions:
The process of creating my first plaster cast taught me that it was a more
complex process than I had originally realised. I had to perfect the ratio of
plaster to water, the time spent mixing, and the wait until it had set and
dried. This extended the amount of time and work I had to spend by a large
amount and I ended up buying and wasting a lot of plaster through many failed
experiments.
Directions:
These complications forced me to reconsider my time expenditure and plan
accordingly. I poured most of my casts in the evening so they could set
overnight, even though this limited me to one cast per day.
Confirmation:
Nevertheless, I gradually refined and improved my creation process. The
multiple attempts also left me with a surplus of masks that I could test, with
no fear of failure since I had plenty more.
4. Conclusion
Satisfaction:
Overall I was pleased with the outcome of my project. I was able to reach my
goal of producing four masks for my final series. I also learned to how to
improve the quality of the casts and capture an impressive amount of detail
from the initial moulds. This let me create high quality casts that accurately
represented my face.
Experience:
I had some fun working with plaster of Paris. It was a versatile material that
changed composition drastically, depending on the ratio of water used. However,
it was a long, frustrating, and costly process that I wouldn’t attempt to use
for larger scale projects in the future.
Research
process: To improve my working I would spend less time planning and more time
physically experimenting. I found that it was more productive to rush into the
creative process, fail, and then make a second attempt. Rather than
meticulously planning how to make a perfect cast and then be overwhelmed with disappointment
as my well-made plans failed spectacularly.
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