Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Act 3 Scene 1
All three versions of Hamlet’s soliloquy made points and had visual aspects that gave the viewer better ideas on which the image Shakespeare intends put in the minds eye of the reader. Kenneth Branagh’s version of the soliloquy best expresses Shakespeare’s vision. The delivery of the lines and character’s costume do a perfect job of creating an image to go along with the original play version of Hamlet. The idea of Hamlet looking into the mirror is also very creative intending to prove that the poem is intended for Hamlet himself. The camera view is also intriguing because it is practically an abyss behind Hamlet as the mirrors reflect one another leaving a never ending image. The original version of Hamlet is quite open ended allowing the video director’s to play with the words and make them change the overall tone of the scene.Shakespeare’s words describe Hamlet questioning whether, existing itself is in fact worth the while. “To be or not to be- that is the question” is the first line of the soliloquy, allowing the reader to be faced with a very deep question as soon as the poem begins. Hamlet starts the scene speaking in a whisper but slowly gets louder and sterner as if to question his own words. Throughout the segment Hamlet uses many philosophic comparisons and it is hard to decipher whether or not he would rather “not be” than actually “be”. “Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep- to sleep, perchance to dream” is stated in a voice of question by the actor in the video which creates confliction in the mind of the person viewing the video, the confliction is established due to the fact that Hamlet is finding the positive and negatives in both life and death, the two being as opposite as possible. Yet Hamlet’s words make life and death seem quite similar, the director of the video makes the actor’s tone vary throughout the scene, as if to confuse the reader and still create mystery as to where Hamlet stands on his opinion between life and death. The setting of the scene is also very telling of the director’s stance and opinion on how he sees the scene.The idea of Hamlet looking at himself dead on in the mirror allows himself to essentially see himself as a living person, yet it also allows him to view himself and see if existing is in fact what it is all really about. There is also the idea of two mirrors facing on another creating a never ending abyss which could be said for life and death alike. For life is always going to continue no matter who dies, but once dead a person is forever dead. “Thus conscience does make cowards of all of us all” is a line that says a lot for Hamlet’s stance, everyone has a conscience and every dies. In everyone’s mind at one point, the idea of dying and death pass through and leave a lasting mark as if to say everyone fears dying and Hamlet is admitting this to himself while facing the mirror. The scene is in a large room that has an echo creating an image of a very important scene that must come of as dramatic and leave the viewer in thought of Hamlet’s words and how important what he says not only to the viewer but Hamlet himself and his behavior right up until the end of the play. Although the setting was breathtaking, the scene comes full circle when music is added.The scene begins in silence but as it becomes more and more dramatic the music slowly works its way in to the background. “There’s the respect that makes calamity of so long life.” Is exactly where the music starts and Hamlet begins to speak louder, he then lifts his dagger and runs it along his own face leaving the viewer in limbo watching a man who is seemingly insane questioning life and death with a weapon in his hand. This adds to the tension of the scene. Shortly after he ends the soliloquy Ophelia enters the room and Hamlet’s serious demeanor goes away and he seems to soften up. This was a strategy by the director to allow Hamlet to see the woman he loves directly after he questions his existence. If she was to enter half way through the soliloquy the entire tone would be thrown off and the dramatic effect would not have been as captivating and would not have allowed the viewer to question Hamlet’s thoughts in their entirety.The dramatic soliloquy ends and leaves the viewer questioning Hamlet’s state of mind. Multiple completed thoughts are put together but conflict in such a manner that it is hard to establish the tone of the scene, leaving an open ended theory, the director of the video seemingly ends the questions by allowing the viewer to literally watch Hamlet interact with his own reflection. Overall the video establishes a very impressive view of what Hamlet is attempting to tell himself, the director seems to answer the question by allowing Hamlet to show himself that being alive is a better situation than death.
URL of Art Piece
Pins
I chose Tara Donovan as my artist due to the fact that I viewed her work and am intrigued by the detail and patience that she puts into all of her work.
I chose Tara Donovan as my artist due to the fact that I viewed her work and am intrigued by the detail and patience that she puts into all of her work.
Act 1 Scene 3 Video Critique
Act 1 Scene 3 of Hamlet is portrayed in the Shakespeare version as a conversation between brother and sister discuss the love life of Ophelia and what she must avoid in order to remain free from becoming a whore or losing her virginity. In the original version the scene appears to make Ophelia feel quite uncomfortable and almost shying away from the conversation where as in the video she is almost distressed by the conversation as if to agree with Laertes, although in agreement she appears as though she does not want to have a conversation of this nature with her brother. Although on the same subject matter, the video version and play version of Hamlet give off conflicting vibes. Ophelia is portrayed as a good looking blonde girl by the director, her looking this way warrants the fact that many men are probably in pursuit of her love. Laertes is aware of this and deems it necessary to protect his sister that are only in pursuit of her not for love but for lust.The director of the video obviously felt as though Ophelia and Laertes were face to face when having the conversation about Ophelia and her love life. It appears as though they were left close to one another to allow Laertes to give his sister a kiss on the check as if to seal the deal with a brother to sister kiss almost a final agreement between the two. Laertes appears content with how the conversation went despite the fact that Ophlia actually tells him to follow his own rules that he expressed to her. The setting of the scene is in a library to an extent to ensure the viewer that the residents of the home are knowledgeable and have a certain degree of world information to support their claims and statements. The scene also shows the size of the home in order to show the wealth of the residents as well. The home has a an upper floor that appears as a balcony as was commonly found in homes during the 1600’s in homes of people of upper class status. The upper class and wealth that is in the lives of the characters is also portrayed in the manner that the characters are dressed. Their wardrobes are representative of their wealth as well. Polonius then enters the scene.When Polonius enters a power shift is almost immediately felt. He has a loud confident voice when speaking to both Laertes and Ophelia who both respect him although he is seemingly arrogant. The idea that Polonius does not know exactly what to say to his children may reflect the decisions that Laertess made to talk about his sister’s love life directly to her. The video practically shows parts of Ophelia and Laertes in Polonius’ behavior, both his qualities and fallacies. Ultimately the director depicts Polonius to the one who is in charge. A large room is the setting due to the fact that it allows Polonius to express his loud voice and make him seem that much more above the soft tones of both his children.The lighting in the room is also dull but the scenery is bright and colorful which represents the soft tone and importance of the conversation. As the scene continues Polonius moves throughout the house as if to boost the fact that it is his domain and what ever he does is right, all though he comes off as sort of a buffoon filled with ignorance. The conversation between Ophelia and Laertes also may have a deeper meaning of separation. Laertes is moving off to college and the age is depicted correctly as the man in the video appears to be that of a college student and his sister younger. The conversation in the video also gives the viewer the idea that the two are very close to one another and truly care what one another does in life. When Ophelia warns Laertes to follow his own advice she seemingly makes a joke out of it and reacts with sarcasm, as is done the play version.The director of the video also leaves out the tension between the two it is not a very tense scene in the video which disallows the viewer to understand the magnitude of the scene. Although the ending kiss in the scene is one between brother and sister the love between the two seems to be too much, I did not feel as though the two were as close as depicted as the director allows the two to appear.Overall the video version displays a good visual image of the scene but does not completely capture the scene as I felt is was meant to be displayed as written by Shakespeare in its original form.
Created Cover Explanation
The book cover I have drawn connects with David Sedaris’ “Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim” in the sense that Sedaris sees his experiences as black and white, in his opinion someone is always responsible for a particular occurrence Therefore I decided to draw night and day, David recalled looking at the sky at night before going to bed as a child while living in South Carolina, the state that boasts the ability to see both the mountains and ocean in one trip. His views of good and evil arte a result of his upbringing hence the multiple heads that gradually grow across the cover design.
The back of the book is the yin yang symbol stressing the good and evil, right and wrong that David had become accustomed in his early years.
The back of the book is the yin yang symbol stressing the good and evil, right and wrong that David had become accustomed in his early years.
Research Paper
Tara Donovan: Biometric Creations
Tara Donovan was born in 1969 in New York City. In her work she utilizes manufactured materials as pieces for her installations and sculptures. She first studied at the School of Visual arts in New York City from 1987-88. In 1991, following her stint at SVA-NYC she earned her B.F.A. from the Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington D.C. She then went on to Virginia Commonwealth University where she received her M.F.A. in sculpture in 1999. After completing her schooling she began art shows and has completed 25 solo exhibitions since 1998. Her work has been displayed in contemporary art museums throughout the United States and abroad. Prior to the end of her schooling Donovan also participated in nearly 70 group exhibitions starting in 1996. In 2008 The ICA, Boston has developed her first traveling exhibition adding to her fame and accomplishments (Pace Wildenstein 1-6). She is often honored due to her commitment to specific process rather than art itself, she creates a plan. Her art has a sort of “biometric feel to it” as she insists (Fairchild par. 3). She gathers everyday materials and puts them together. In which a larger image is created. From a distance Donovan’s work appears as one large object rather than thousands of little pieces so intricately assembled to form the larger work. When the proper lighting is applied behind the work it really catches the viewer’s eye and imagination. Upon viewing Donovan’s art many questions of astonishment and interest are asked, most often viewers of her work are amazed by the patience that goes along with pieces as complex her sculptures. Donovan still lives and works in Brooklyn and is sponsored by Pace Wildenstein an artist sponsorship group that was founded in Boston , Ma in the year 1960(Pace Wildenstein 5).
Only weeks before the exhibit in Boston opened, one of her largest art exhibits to date, Donovan was honored with the 2008 Macarthur “genius” award, an award given to only 6 people world wide. After receiving the award she developed the nickname “Genius of little things”(Kino 28). Prior to receiving the “genius” Award, she was honored with The Calder Prize, which is awarded annually by the Alexander Calder Foundation; Donovan was the first artist to receive the award. In 2005 Donovan was granted residency at the Atelier Calder in Sache , France . Her less notable awards consist of the American Academy of Arts and Letters Willard L. Metcalf Award National Academy Museum Helen Foster Barnett Prize, Women’s Caucus for Art Presidential Award, New York Foundation for the arts grant recipient Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Bienneal Competition and the Joan Mittchell Foundation grant recipient (Pace Wildenstein par. 4-6).
“Contemporary art - collectively - is much more socially conscious than any previous era has been. A whole lot of art from the last 30 years has been connected with one issue or another: feminism, multiculturalism, globalization, bio-engineering and AIDS awareness all come readily to mind as subject matter” (Esaak 45). Rather than creating pieces that relate to issues and problems that our world faces Donovan establishes a new theory to an extent of how everything in the world can ad up to create a larger image that makes sense, and from a distance appears to be on large piece, sort of like the image of the earth from a distance. The idea of incorporating nature into sculptures is not a new revolutionized way of depicting nature, but the manner in which Donovan establishes a chance for the viewer to see the little pieces of natural objects that add up to create the “Bigger picture (Kino par. 7)
One article begins "Towering hills of plastic cups, strips of paper spun round and intertwined and millions of straight pins molded into a huge cube fill the space in an otherwise empty Tara Donovan exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston . The artist, a New York City native, takes everyday objects, collects them en masse, and assembles them into something beyond their original form, letting the pieces develop organically."(Vinoski 1-6) is a detailed description of Donovan’s technique that paints the picture of her intentions for a natural look to her work. Tara Donovan is essentially a groundbreaking artist in a time when art has essentially been established from all fronts and refreshing new work is hard to come by.
Donovan has established new techniques and art theories that have established a rather large following and “new opportunities for other artists to create work using her biometric techniques” (Sheets 86-89). Her works “Nebulous”, “Clouds” and “Haze” are three of the more astonishing of her creations. All have a unique way of allowing Donovan to express her own style. Although the works all have completely different
Although Donovan is a highly respected artist she alike all public figures does have critics. "It is, however, rather unfortunate that the material produces something quite similar to the "art" found hanging in some the newly renovated T stops throughout Boston" (Vinoski par. 1) are words that are lowering the appeal of Donovan's art to that of an amateur. The article critiquing Donovan’s art is entitled “Donovan’s modern art exhibit proves superficial” (Vinoski par. 1). Donovan is truly an all around artist, she garners criticism but is also a lead influence on many up and coming contemporary artists, such artists that base their work solely on that of Donovan and nature.
The fact that Donovan is the first artist to create pieces as unique as her own, she has become very influential on artists that want to create similar objects. “I’ve given considerable study to coral reefs, wasp nests, termite mounds, birds’ nests and other similar structures…all in the obsessive spirit of artists like Tara Donovan.”(Theis 1) proves the expertise and ability that Donovan has developed in her works that involve nature. She is so successful in creating “Biometric” structures that a another contemporary artist that specializes in natural pieces, uses not only actual parts of the natural world but uses Donovan’s work as a key influence to images that appear as actual parts of nature and the natural flow of objects.
Tara Donovan describes herself as "fascinated with creating chaos out of something and then restructuring it and giving it new order” (Sheets 86-89) she adds little pieces together “and “grows” them through accumulation. The results are large-scale abstract floor and wall works suggestive of landscapes, clouds, cellular structures and even mold or fungus. She considers patterning, configuration, and the play of light when determining the structure of her works but the final form evolves from the innate properties and structures of the material itself” (McNamara 14)
“Clouds” has a 24 foot diameter and stretches 12 feet high and is hung from the ceiling to create the illusion of actual clouds. Different than most sculptures “Clouds” can really peak the interest of the viewer when viewed from a short distance because the simplest of details cannot be viewed, the distance creates the appearance of fluffy white clouds on a sunny day. Although gluing cups together does not exactly seem as earth shattering one look upon the thousands of cups shaped in rounded ways establish a different appearance of every object and the imagination of all can establish.
“Clouds” is definitely the more astonishing of the pieces; it hangs down from the ceiling and from a distance resembles a fluffy white cloud when in reality it is thousands of Styrofoam cups. The most intriguing part of the work is not its appearance but Donovan’s ability to take an ordinary object and render it to make it into a work of art. The time and effort that is put into Donovan’s work and her personal view is what people find most original, thus establishing her popularity. The work “Clouds” is also very unique because it is brought to life by the lighting that is setup behind it. The lights illuminate the entire work creating a more natural look to the work, as if the sun is beaming through on a nice day. The idea of light beaming through the Styrofoam cups seems like a basic concept but has never been put together with such flamboyance as Donovan’s work, she essentially establishes a new brand of art the is less abstract than the usually collages that are created by contemporary artists, rather than creating images that make people think they more or less allow the viewer to realize more about the materials and capture the imagination of all who view the work. The idea of natural objects being created from man made materials is another captivating aspect of Donovan’s work. Again with Donovan it is about “making the ordinary extraordinary” (McNamara).
Upon viewing Donovan’s clouds the perception of Styrofoam cups can be completed consorted. Prior to the creation “Clouds” Styrofoam cups were quite rare in professional works of art, and art that is displayed in contemporary museums. The shape of a cup is not necessarily ideal for creating round objects yet Donovan’s ability to do so with such elegance is quite impressive. The texture of the cups also adds to the natural look of the piece adding more texture allowing the eye to wander to different parts of the piece intensifying the extreme amount of detail that the has gone into creating the work. Donovan challenges the viewer’s mind and eyes, “the best artists challenge the way we see things. Donovan changes the way we see two things cups and landscapes” in “Clouds”(Dean Dresser).
Understanding Donovan’s “Clouds” is not only to view the piece but to understand the artists intriguing philosophies and originality, “Clouds” in particular is a model for all that Donovan is striving towards. It captures both the eye’s approval and the approval of the viewer’s mind. The mind is captured by the reality and actual similarity the piece has to and actual cloud. It’s rounded edges have a certain subtlety to them that allows the lights to seep into the viewer’s eye through the cups practically creating a transparent ness that can only be established with Styrofoam materials.
A second piece of art of Donovan’s that is also considered quite impressive is her work “Nebulous”, which consists of layers of plastic scotch tape that essentially forms a design that is seemingly endless. The tape waists and turns throughout its back drop creating what appears to be a solid object but when viewed up close its details become much more noticeable and practically brings life to the work and the floor on which the piece rests.
“Nebulous” by Tara Donovan is another piece that escapes the imagination of ordinary contemporary art. Scotch tape configured in abstract design stuck to the floor, but appears as so much more, almost as steam or gas rising from the floor. The work seems quite ordinary from a distance but when viewed up close the intricacies of the work essentially jump off the floor. It is one of Donovan’s more abstract pieces of art, but at the same time when viewed from the right perspective appears exactly as it was intended, a biometric steam or gas.
“Nebulous” consists of nothing but Scotch tape on its side stuck together and wrapped around, it lays on the floor has dimensions of 16 by 14 feet. Differing from both “Clouds” and “Haze”, “Nebulous” is not a collage of objects but more so a never ending maze of abstract lines that some how or another create the image of fog or smoke. Donovan uses a technique that produces the optical illusion of a hovering layer of smoke that takes on a life of its own. Not only does the piece appear to hover but also creates the false impression of an actual moving object as if steam is actually being generated and rising from the earth. Donovan intends to open imaginations up from beginning to end with her art work. Not only is “Nebulous” appealing to the eye it also poses many questions as to the thought process of developing beauty out of the ordinary. “Haze” differs from both “Nebulous” and Clouds is it appears as more of a solid landscape from a distance but upon moving closer to the piece it takes on the image of a wall of fog.
“Haze”, a 42-foot-long wall of over two million clear drinking straws, Essentially a collage of straws protruding from the wall on different levels creating an uneven surface, it can best be described as a snow covered mountain landscape tilted vertically or a flowing wall of fog effortlessly moving in one direction. “Haze” also displays the impressive method Donovan uses to create a rounded surface with objects that are not commonly assembled into spherical designs due to their shape and lack of proportion. This piece also peaks interest due to the combination of thousands of clear objects creating a very unique appearance. The silver color that Donovan is able to develop through her numerous collages is unique to her work establishing an image that . “Donovan has transformed an entire gallery into a unique visual and physiological experience by gluing millions of clear drinking straws onto the gallery walls” (Faichild, Artist Statement)
Almost as important as the art itself is the setup in which the work is toured and viewed, from room to room more and more art around every corner in a winding maze like structure. A majority of the work is on the floor establishing the more natural less human persuasive side to objects. The lighting surrounding Donovan’s art is also meant to add an extra dimension, adding shadows and shining points depending on the pieces used to create the sculptures. With proper lighting the perception of each piece is changed every time a closer look at the image is established, the natural look of the sculptures.
Establishing landscapes that relate to the world is an extremely creative way of expressing the way different pieces of the world add up to create a much bigger picture “Her work explores how massive accumulation of ordinary items can conjure associations of urban landscapes, atmospheric conditions, and geological formations.” (MCASD) She establishes images by creating a collage of pieces that man made but are similar to the smaller pieces of all living things, in a sense uses atoms to construct a larger life form that is in fact inanimate, using her intriguing techniques is able to allow the sculptures to take on a life of their own. The idea of creating a real atom structured piece of art is considered “genius”, a new technique that is intriguing in both appearance and theory, the exact reasons that Donovan is celebrated as one of the most impressive and influential contemporary artists of our time.
Overall Donovan is quite successful in bending the public’s view of nature. Much to often people are concerned with “the big picture” (Cohen 23) and do not take the time to take a closer look at the aspects of the world. Donovan’s art allows viewer’s to look at sculptures from a distance and as a closer look is taken at the pieces the smaller parts of the world that are imperative to the larger image can be taken into account. Being dedicated to specific process is what has allowed Donovan to share her art with people on such a large scale.
Tara Donovan was born in 1969 in New York City. In her work she utilizes manufactured materials as pieces for her installations and sculptures. She first studied at the School of Visual arts in New York City from 1987-88. In 1991, following her stint at SVA-NYC she earned her B.F.A. from the Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington D.C. She then went on to Virginia Commonwealth University where she received her M.F.A. in sculpture in 1999. After completing her schooling she began art shows and has completed 25 solo exhibitions since 1998. Her work has been displayed in contemporary art museums throughout the United States and abroad. Prior to the end of her schooling Donovan also participated in nearly 70 group exhibitions starting in 1996. In 2008 The ICA, Boston has developed her first traveling exhibition adding to her fame and accomplishments (Pace Wildenstein 1-6). She is often honored due to her commitment to specific process rather than art itself, she creates a plan. Her art has a sort of “biometric feel to it” as she insists (Fairchild par. 3). She gathers everyday materials and puts them together. In which a larger image is created. From a distance Donovan’s work appears as one large object rather than thousands of little pieces so intricately assembled to form the larger work. When the proper lighting is applied behind the work it really catches the viewer’s eye and imagination. Upon viewing Donovan’s art many questions of astonishment and interest are asked, most often viewers of her work are amazed by the patience that goes along with pieces as complex her sculptures. Donovan still lives and works in Brooklyn and is sponsored by Pace Wildenstein an artist sponsorship group that was founded in Boston , Ma in the year 1960(Pace Wildenstein 5).
Only weeks before the exhibit in Boston opened, one of her largest art exhibits to date, Donovan was honored with the 2008 Macarthur “genius” award, an award given to only 6 people world wide. After receiving the award she developed the nickname “Genius of little things”(Kino 28). Prior to receiving the “genius” Award, she was honored with The Calder Prize, which is awarded annually by the Alexander Calder Foundation; Donovan was the first artist to receive the award. In 2005 Donovan was granted residency at the Atelier Calder in Sache , France . Her less notable awards consist of the American Academy of Arts and Letters Willard L. Metcalf Award National Academy Museum Helen Foster Barnett Prize, Women’s Caucus for Art Presidential Award, New York Foundation for the arts grant recipient Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Bienneal Competition and the Joan Mittchell Foundation grant recipient (Pace Wildenstein par. 4-6).
“Contemporary art - collectively - is much more socially conscious than any previous era has been. A whole lot of art from the last 30 years has been connected with one issue or another: feminism, multiculturalism, globalization, bio-engineering and AIDS awareness all come readily to mind as subject matter” (Esaak 45). Rather than creating pieces that relate to issues and problems that our world faces Donovan establishes a new theory to an extent of how everything in the world can ad up to create a larger image that makes sense, and from a distance appears to be on large piece, sort of like the image of the earth from a distance. The idea of incorporating nature into sculptures is not a new revolutionized way of depicting nature, but the manner in which Donovan establishes a chance for the viewer to see the little pieces of natural objects that add up to create the “Bigger picture (Kino par. 7)
One article begins "Towering hills of plastic cups, strips of paper spun round and intertwined and millions of straight pins molded into a huge cube fill the space in an otherwise empty Tara Donovan exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston . The artist, a New York City native, takes everyday objects, collects them en masse, and assembles them into something beyond their original form, letting the pieces develop organically."(Vinoski 1-6) is a detailed description of Donovan’s technique that paints the picture of her intentions for a natural look to her work. Tara Donovan is essentially a groundbreaking artist in a time when art has essentially been established from all fronts and refreshing new work is hard to come by.
Donovan has established new techniques and art theories that have established a rather large following and “new opportunities for other artists to create work using her biometric techniques” (Sheets 86-89). Her works “Nebulous”, “Clouds” and “Haze” are three of the more astonishing of her creations. All have a unique way of allowing Donovan to express her own style. Although the works all have completely different
Although Donovan is a highly respected artist she alike all public figures does have critics. "It is, however, rather unfortunate that the material produces something quite similar to the "art" found hanging in some the newly renovated T stops throughout Boston" (Vinoski par. 1) are words that are lowering the appeal of Donovan's art to that of an amateur. The article critiquing Donovan’s art is entitled “Donovan’s modern art exhibit proves superficial” (Vinoski par. 1). Donovan is truly an all around artist, she garners criticism but is also a lead influence on many up and coming contemporary artists, such artists that base their work solely on that of Donovan and nature.
The fact that Donovan is the first artist to create pieces as unique as her own, she has become very influential on artists that want to create similar objects. “I’ve given considerable study to coral reefs, wasp nests, termite mounds, birds’ nests and other similar structures…all in the obsessive spirit of artists like Tara Donovan.”(Theis 1) proves the expertise and ability that Donovan has developed in her works that involve nature. She is so successful in creating “Biometric” structures that a another contemporary artist that specializes in natural pieces, uses not only actual parts of the natural world but uses Donovan’s work as a key influence to images that appear as actual parts of nature and the natural flow of objects.
Tara Donovan describes herself as "fascinated with creating chaos out of something and then restructuring it and giving it new order” (Sheets 86-89) she adds little pieces together “and “grows” them through accumulation. The results are large-scale abstract floor and wall works suggestive of landscapes, clouds, cellular structures and even mold or fungus. She considers patterning, configuration, and the play of light when determining the structure of her works but the final form evolves from the innate properties and structures of the material itself” (McNamara 14)
“Clouds” has a 24 foot diameter and stretches 12 feet high and is hung from the ceiling to create the illusion of actual clouds. Different than most sculptures “Clouds” can really peak the interest of the viewer when viewed from a short distance because the simplest of details cannot be viewed, the distance creates the appearance of fluffy white clouds on a sunny day. Although gluing cups together does not exactly seem as earth shattering one look upon the thousands of cups shaped in rounded ways establish a different appearance of every object and the imagination of all can establish.
“Clouds” is definitely the more astonishing of the pieces; it hangs down from the ceiling and from a distance resembles a fluffy white cloud when in reality it is thousands of Styrofoam cups. The most intriguing part of the work is not its appearance but Donovan’s ability to take an ordinary object and render it to make it into a work of art. The time and effort that is put into Donovan’s work and her personal view is what people find most original, thus establishing her popularity. The work “Clouds” is also very unique because it is brought to life by the lighting that is setup behind it. The lights illuminate the entire work creating a more natural look to the work, as if the sun is beaming through on a nice day. The idea of light beaming through the Styrofoam cups seems like a basic concept but has never been put together with such flamboyance as Donovan’s work, she essentially establishes a new brand of art the is less abstract than the usually collages that are created by contemporary artists, rather than creating images that make people think they more or less allow the viewer to realize more about the materials and capture the imagination of all who view the work. The idea of natural objects being created from man made materials is another captivating aspect of Donovan’s work. Again with Donovan it is about “making the ordinary extraordinary” (McNamara).
Upon viewing Donovan’s clouds the perception of Styrofoam cups can be completed consorted. Prior to the creation “Clouds” Styrofoam cups were quite rare in professional works of art, and art that is displayed in contemporary museums. The shape of a cup is not necessarily ideal for creating round objects yet Donovan’s ability to do so with such elegance is quite impressive. The texture of the cups also adds to the natural look of the piece adding more texture allowing the eye to wander to different parts of the piece intensifying the extreme amount of detail that the has gone into creating the work. Donovan challenges the viewer’s mind and eyes, “the best artists challenge the way we see things. Donovan changes the way we see two things cups and landscapes” in “Clouds”(Dean Dresser).
Understanding Donovan’s “Clouds” is not only to view the piece but to understand the artists intriguing philosophies and originality, “Clouds” in particular is a model for all that Donovan is striving towards. It captures both the eye’s approval and the approval of the viewer’s mind. The mind is captured by the reality and actual similarity the piece has to and actual cloud. It’s rounded edges have a certain subtlety to them that allows the lights to seep into the viewer’s eye through the cups practically creating a transparent ness that can only be established with Styrofoam materials.
A second piece of art of Donovan’s that is also considered quite impressive is her work “Nebulous”, which consists of layers of plastic scotch tape that essentially forms a design that is seemingly endless. The tape waists and turns throughout its back drop creating what appears to be a solid object but when viewed up close its details become much more noticeable and practically brings life to the work and the floor on which the piece rests.
“Nebulous” by Tara Donovan is another piece that escapes the imagination of ordinary contemporary art. Scotch tape configured in abstract design stuck to the floor, but appears as so much more, almost as steam or gas rising from the floor. The work seems quite ordinary from a distance but when viewed up close the intricacies of the work essentially jump off the floor. It is one of Donovan’s more abstract pieces of art, but at the same time when viewed from the right perspective appears exactly as it was intended, a biometric steam or gas.
“Nebulous” consists of nothing but Scotch tape on its side stuck together and wrapped around, it lays on the floor has dimensions of 16 by 14 feet. Differing from both “Clouds” and “Haze”, “Nebulous” is not a collage of objects but more so a never ending maze of abstract lines that some how or another create the image of fog or smoke. Donovan uses a technique that produces the optical illusion of a hovering layer of smoke that takes on a life of its own. Not only does the piece appear to hover but also creates the false impression of an actual moving object as if steam is actually being generated and rising from the earth. Donovan intends to open imaginations up from beginning to end with her art work. Not only is “Nebulous” appealing to the eye it also poses many questions as to the thought process of developing beauty out of the ordinary. “Haze” differs from both “Nebulous” and Clouds is it appears as more of a solid landscape from a distance but upon moving closer to the piece it takes on the image of a wall of fog.
“Haze”, a 42-foot-long wall of over two million clear drinking straws, Essentially a collage of straws protruding from the wall on different levels creating an uneven surface, it can best be described as a snow covered mountain landscape tilted vertically or a flowing wall of fog effortlessly moving in one direction. “Haze” also displays the impressive method Donovan uses to create a rounded surface with objects that are not commonly assembled into spherical designs due to their shape and lack of proportion. This piece also peaks interest due to the combination of thousands of clear objects creating a very unique appearance. The silver color that Donovan is able to develop through her numerous collages is unique to her work establishing an image that . “Donovan has transformed an entire gallery into a unique visual and physiological experience by gluing millions of clear drinking straws onto the gallery walls” (Faichild, Artist Statement)
Almost as important as the art itself is the setup in which the work is toured and viewed, from room to room more and more art around every corner in a winding maze like structure. A majority of the work is on the floor establishing the more natural less human persuasive side to objects. The lighting surrounding Donovan’s art is also meant to add an extra dimension, adding shadows and shining points depending on the pieces used to create the sculptures. With proper lighting the perception of each piece is changed every time a closer look at the image is established, the natural look of the sculptures.
Establishing landscapes that relate to the world is an extremely creative way of expressing the way different pieces of the world add up to create a much bigger picture “Her work explores how massive accumulation of ordinary items can conjure associations of urban landscapes, atmospheric conditions, and geological formations.” (MCASD) She establishes images by creating a collage of pieces that man made but are similar to the smaller pieces of all living things, in a sense uses atoms to construct a larger life form that is in fact inanimate, using her intriguing techniques is able to allow the sculptures to take on a life of their own. The idea of creating a real atom structured piece of art is considered “genius”, a new technique that is intriguing in both appearance and theory, the exact reasons that Donovan is celebrated as one of the most impressive and influential contemporary artists of our time.
Overall Donovan is quite successful in bending the public’s view of nature. Much to often people are concerned with “the big picture” (Cohen 23) and do not take the time to take a closer look at the aspects of the world. Donovan’s art allows viewer’s to look at sculptures from a distance and as a closer look is taken at the pieces the smaller parts of the world that are imperative to the larger image can be taken into account. Being dedicated to specific process is what has allowed Donovan to share her art with people on such a large scale.
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