Earth vs Humans Treatment

Earth vs Humans is an installation piece about natural disasters and the impact it has on humanity using four basic human busts, sculptured by hand using chicken wire and paper- mache. On each bust will be a projection of each natural disaster, volcano, earthquake, tsunami, and hurricane which will be made to animate slightly as if the images were a video of the real thing, by using Photoshop to create these images and animate them. As well using sound to accompany the projection to bring the reality of these events by using Adobe Audition/Pro Tools to create the bassy earth noises with the odd crack or bubbling sound effect to represent the sounds of the each disaster. I wish to improve on this project as last year’s piece did not consist of a sound piece and the projections did not move due to lack of time and poor organization.

Due to their basic human and genderless features the piece lets the audience imprint themselves on the art making it approachable to anyone. 

Installation Layout

For my installation I will be needing a large room so I am able to place each sculpture inside room with enough distance, so when you stand close to each sculpture you can clearly hear what the speaker is saying with out the others interrupting or distorting it sound piece. Each sculpture will be around knee-high, so possible 30 to 35 inches and around 40 inches long and of course the lights will be turned off so each LED light in each sculpture will be visible. Preferably I would like the LED lights to pulsate, however I don't think that will be possible. The layout the sculptures will not be planned as I would like to lay some around the room at random, not in a line circle or square.

After a disccussion about the grad show and all the rooms that are availlable and all the projects that will be happening in those rooms, I will not be able to fit all of my sculptures in one room without disturbing other peoples work. My tutor gave the idea to dot the sculptures around the route of our grad show so it leads people from room to room also if done right it could give the imagine they are travelling with the audience or following them. 

Sculpting

For making the sculptures I'll be using different materials such as I will be using thick, study flexible wire instead of using chicken wire, as my sculptures will be more right angled and will need straight edges, this also means that the sculptures will not have a weird wire texture to them. Then I will need wire cutters which I already have for cutting the wiring to the right sizes. I found a wire sculptutor and emailed her for some advice on what wire I should use. I have tried to research what wire to use but no one has has documented on what wire they have used. I have thought about Floristry wire but I would need to see the gauge sizes before buying so the wire isn't too thick or too thin.

Of course after that I will be needing a white matt paint to put over the to cover over the newspaper so I can then go over with another matt colour, however I'm not sure about the matt colour and how to get the colour that I want as tin paint is very expensive and the sample size will not be enough to cover each sculpture I am going to look into the possible route of using food colouring in white paint to create to create the desired colour. After looking to see how to colour the white matt paint that I use for painting sculptures it says not to use food colouring as it doesn't mix as well as you think it would, the best option is too buy dark acrylic paints and mix it in to the white.

Acrylic Paint

Gesso White paint

Then for the stocks themselves I will be needing seven little LED lights to place inside the sculptures and seven speakers that I'll be able to play the sound pieces with the LED lights all be battery-powered and hopefully not could not connected to an external plug and the same with the speakers I have found some very simple LED lights on Amazon, possibly pulsating ones, but I am struggling to find them and some decent battery powered speakers.

Battery Powered speakers

LED Lights

What I need to get for making the sculptures:
- Study/flexible wire
- Wire cutters
- Newspaper
- PVA glue
- Paint brushes
- Gesso White paint
- Matt Coloured Paint
For final presentation:
- 7 LED lights
- 7 Speakers

Estimated budget = £131.21

More Updated Budget

Mood board

Light Sculptures

I looked into light sculptures due to how much I enjoy them, to see if there were any animal/geomectric type light sculptures. Too my luck there was and take a lot of inspiration from them.

Animal sculptures

Paper mache animal sculptures

Geometric sculptures

Geometric animal sculptures

Origami sculptures

Artist Studies

Using the characters, from the video game Entwined, to inspire the art direction of the animals. 

Along with the work of Ben Foster, Arran Gregory, and Paperwolf all of which have created geometric animal sculptures and Paperwolf which is a site where you can build your own DIY geomectric paper animal. And Bruce Nauman’s Raw Materials sound piece was inspiration for the speakers whispering words, re-enacting those emotions.

 

I love the simplicity of Ben's work, the simple design is detailed enough that you can tell what each animal is and the colour is very sutble due to the natural lighting and the shape of the sculptures.

Ben Foster 

Arran's work inspired me the most with how to plan the making part of my sculptures. As the desired shape in my sculptures are very geomectric I was unsure of how to shape the skeleton of my animals. Coming across Arran's frame work of the wolf gave me the idea to use straight wire to create the skeleton base. 

Arran Gregory

Paperwolf is a company rather than an artist however they have a similar idea/look to the animals that I wish to create for my own. Also with these sculptures created by Paperwolf being made by paper, I felt like this was a good inspiration/influence.

Paperwolf

Beth Cavener

Without thinking about it, I realised that Bruce's piece Raw Materials that was shown in the Turbine Hall in the Tate Modern, has a similar feel to what my sound pieces will be like. The mumbling voices overlapping each other when you enter the room and as you draw closer to a speaker you can hear more clearly what is being said. 

Bruce Nauman