The feelings that we ignored
During a recent discussion-based homework assignment, I found myself deeply contemplating the seemingly mundane act of holding a bottle. On the surface, it seems trivial, but when we truly immerse ourselves in the experience — feeling every curve and crevice where our palm meets the bottle, or the sensation of water flowing over our tongue — it becomes a profound meditation on the intricacies of touch.
To visualize this concept, I affixed nearly a hundred small, shiny stones onto a bottle using an expanding adhesive. As this adhesive dried, it pushed the stones outward, mimicking the way we might closely examine the nuances of touch and sensation, even in the most minute details. I chose the shiny stones specifically to emphasize and "highlight" these often-overlooked sensations.
Additionally, I adhered white stones to the portion of the bottle that often draws the most attention, traditionally a space for brand logos. At first glance, these stones may go unnoticed against the white backdrop, mirroring the way we might overlook the deeper experience of touch when focusing solely on the aesthetics of the bottle. This serves as a subtle call to action: urging individuals to engage more deeply with their own tactile experiences rather than being solely influenced by external appearances.
Lastly, I introduced a hollow space on the bottle's surface, representing the emptiness or lack of depth we might feel when our attention is limited only to the superficial aspects of an object, like the bottle itself.
Are you working with or in spite of the inherent utility of your found object?
I mostly follow the utility of the objects I found. Although it is covered in clay afterward, the bottle is still a bottle(used to drink water), and so are the straws. In addition, I also use some straws to construct the bones for the hand, ensuring it can stand properly.
If you have shifted its utility, what new meaning can be pulled from this new situation you have placed it in?
(Not shifting)
How can we tell the difference between your object and the base, or the object (as base) and the thing that you have made? Are they separate entities? Are they (together) a new form?
Although I have a tiny rock at the bottom left helping the sculpture stand, it is not the part where the sculpture lays its most mass. Therefore, I would like to identify the hand and the bottle as a whole, as a base. And my object is referring to the straw and the tongue.
What are the formal reasonings behind the decisions you have made regarding your object and base? What are some of the strengths in your formal decision-making process?
I decided this mostly because that’s how we actually hold a bottle. Our hands “stick” with the bottle and our tongues try to pull and stir with the straws. So there are two parts to view. I thought in this form, I could ensure the sculpture rested in balance.