A picture is worth a thousand words, or in this case a sculpture is worth a thousand words. From the John Cage’s experiment in class last week, it really made me think twice about what art really means. In the class, last Thursday, I didn’t really know what was going on and it was hard to interpret what we were trying to accomplish in class because no one was talking or giving us instructions of what to do. This took our class to a whole other level, because it wasn’t a typical Thursday English class. Most of our class session consists of students sitting there in silence, listening to the teacher as he teaches or give us instructions on what to do that day. I didn’t like sitting the entire class without someone talking; it made me feel uncomfortable because it was out of my boundaries of being the norm. Although it was interesting and I thought about a lot of different things that day I just rather not do it again.
There are many ways in which something can tell a story. From the John Cage’s experiment the stories are told in complete silence. When thinking about my sculpture “Fallen Dreamer” all the stories I think about are of silence too, but when looking at the sculpture it screams out to me several different thoughts and stories that are appropriate for the appearance of the sculpture. I think that my sculpture’s environment is exceedingly important to its argument, but at this moment I haven’t came up with a clear cut argument.
When I see a piece of art inside of the Sheldon Art Museum, I think, don’t touch, to fragile, and be very quiet. Most inside art objects are also two dimensional, or the picture can be seen from only one side of things, sculptures are three dimensional figures that look more appropriate outside where there is more room. And this is true with my particular sculpture which is located outside on grounds where anyone passing by can see it, touch it, and make their own argument about it. This sculpture is placed in the front of the museum on the nature of cement. Where it is located will help support my argument. A big factor for a sculpture outside is the weather. You could go see the sculpture on a beautiful sunny day and make an argument, then go another day when it is freezing rain and snow and make another argument. Another factor could be the time of day. People can view art at any time of the day and get a different argument. Other thinks that help aid my sculpture outside is what it is made out of. It is made out of all bronze, and typically bronze doesn’t rust, lose its color, and it very sturdy. So in the case of what it is made out of it is a perfect thing to stay outside and be a part of the nature of the argument. All of these aspects straightforwardly maintain vital characteristics of my statue, “Fallen Dreamer.”
