Graduate Thesis Showcase: School of Fine Art Sculpture
Faux Atelier
by David Hugh Wagner
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Final Project Proposal - Faux Atelier
My Proposed Final Project will incorporate the skills and knowledge I already possess plus the development I will undergo as I earn the final twenty-four units of my graduate requirements. From toiling in the larger-than-life-size fields of Mardi Gras, the conventions industry, and theatre set design and fabrication I have developed an appreciation of the visceral, intellectual and social impact of a theatrical presentation. If done with skill, backed by a valid concept, it can heighten the observers' enjoyment and appreciation of the viewing experience.
I have also learned from working in the aforementioned fields and from creating two and three-dimensional fine art through the years that the process of creation is open-ended and full of potential for new ideas and directions as it unfolds. So I must allow for changes and variations in the realization of my Final Project, I also wish to allow sufficient time to fully develop this vision and its realization. I plan to spread out this work and its concomitant twenty-four units over a period of three semesters: Spring, Summer, Fall of 2004 or Spring, Fall of 2004 and Spring of 2005. I want to have enough time to visualize and create meaningful and significant work during this important portion of my Master's Program.
I have waited a long time to enroll in graduate school and I want to get the most out of it. I chose to earn my MFA at the Academy of Art College because I want to enlarge and perfect my ability to use the "vocabulary" of human form in order to express my ideas. This proposed presentation would afford a flexible platform upon which to exhibit my work in a way that satisfies the Academy, myself and the viewing public.
I want to use all my fine art, commercial art, and theatre design skills to develop my Final Project MFA Exhibit. I propose to create a self-referential installation that transforms the gallery space into an imagined studio space filled with my art work and the tools and materials needed for their creation.
When I first began imagining my MFA show I had many ideas, of course. But as exciting as each seemed it was equally frustrating to limit myself to only one. A concept that I thought had merit was to model and cast a twice-life-size skeleton, exhibiting it in an "archeological" setting. Rigging a second casting as a marionette activated by the gallery visitor was also a thought. Another theme concept was to use the human hand as the focus of my work. Done as a series, at various scales, sculptures of hand gestures, from the peace sign to Asian mudras, with appropriately-scaled figure sculptures would have constituted the exhibition. Then it came to me that if I constructed an enviroment which gave the viewer the experience of being in the artist's studio I could focus on the human figure in a context which could enlighten and entertain the observer while giving me the latitude to develop the variety of sculpture I want to create. I propose to model and cast a life-size version of myself sculpting a nude model, who would also be a life-size sculpture of a real model. These two pieces would be painted in a realistic manner and displayed as though we were engaged in the process of working on a half-scale version of her. This piece would be cast and painted to resemble clay. This tableau would be one of the focal points of the "studio", imbedded in an environment of real furniture and the objects normally found in a sculptors work space. Finished work of various sizes and scales could be placed strategically as though displayed for studio visitors. ^Work in progress"- sculpture cast and painted to look like clay, plasticine, wax or plaster could be arranged in a more random manner on worktables and sculpture stands. Even a life-size skeleton, typically found in figurative studios, could be modelled by me and cast in resin to resemble a catalog-purchased artist's aid. Perhaps a smaller-scale ecorche' piece, cast and painted to look like plasticine might be placed nearby to suggest that "I'm" using the skeleton as a reference. The exhibit could include figure drawings, framed and unframed, sketches of proposed large-scale projects such as the above-mentioned monumental hand series and maybe some Photoshop images for this and other proposed ideas. Molds made of plaster and synthetic rubbers could be included to give the viewer insight into some of the processes of sculpture making. Containers of materials, wire and wooden armatures, tools, work lights, books and other objects usually found in the sculptor's studio would help evoke the intended environment. I believe the viewers would enjoy the illusion of being in "my studio" while standing in the gallery. It would shift reality a bit and introduce a sense of "play" into the experience. They would be "acting as studio visitors, becoming an integral part of the installation.
I think dividing the gallery into two distinct areas would be beneficial; one space could represent the "living room" or reception area. Perhaps an overstuffed chair and small couch, a bookcase full of art books a coffee table and lamp would provide provide a reading and resting place for the artist and his visitors. This space could also be the display room for the finished sculpture and framed drawings.
The second area would be the "work space" where the sculpting tableau, the skeleton, the works in progress, the unframed drawings and concept sketches would be arranged. All the furniture here would be work surfaces. The tools, materials, armatures and molds would be in this space. If I have enough time and energy I would also like to sculpt a monumental hand and cast it in papier mache'. It could be painted to imitate clay, mounted in this area and covered with thin, clear plastic sheeting, as though to keep the "clay" moist. By entering this set-like, illusory sculptor's workshop, the visitors to my MFA exhibit will, I feel, be entertained and educated. They will also, I trust, enjoy and appreciate the art work found within this faux atelier.
Proposal Summary
The idea is to install a faux atelier in the gallery to include a life-size sculpture of myself "sculpting" a small-scale version of a nude model who would also be a life-size sculpture. Other sculptures, cast in various materials, some painted to look like works in progress, others painted or patinated as finished pieces, would be displayed in either the "work area" or the "living room" of the false studio. Furniture and other appropriate objects would be included to help create the illusory space.