instruction project - ben sang

My initial aim with this instruction artwork was to create something that would function as a sort of mirror for those that participated in its creation. I wanted to show people something about themselves that they wouldn't expect, or at the very least, show them something about themselves in a way they wouldn't expect.

Mankind has always been fascinated with their own image and throughout history have created innumerable works depicting human beings in both ideal and grotesque forms. Some highlight the purity of the human form while others have aimed to show emotion and individuality. My project consisted of three-ply butcher paper, water, and a simple set of instructions: Wet the paper and adhere it to yourself. You may fold, tear, crumple, or alter the paper in any way so long as the paper remains in one piece. 

Each participant molded the wet paper to their own form, in whatever way they desired, and then held that form in place as the paper was dried with a blow drier so that it would better hold its form. After documentation, the paper was reused by the next participant in a similar fashion, but without reference to the specific actions of the participant before them. I did not know what the final product would look like, but I was interested in the idea of these different, very specific patterns formed by the body of participants and what they might look like combined together as a single artwork. The moisture condensed in the creases of the paper and created a marble-like pattern that in a way references ancient traditional sculpture. Another unforeseen byproduct of the process was that the paper became more and more flimsy and fabric-like until it was no longer able to hold its form after removed from the participant's body.

After the paper couldn't hold three-dimensional form any longer, it was spread out so the patterns could all be seen together. The veiny patterns show the evidence of some of the physical features of the participants who wore the paper, but remain largely abstract. However, the folds are physical evidence of the convergence of the form of each individual who wore the paper, completely blending their similarities and differences into one natural abstraction.

UPDATE 3/9/18

After thinking for some time about what I want this project to look like in its final form in a gallery space, I decided that I wanted to augment two factors to make it more interesting and impactful to a viewer that would not have the immediate context of the piece and would perhaps lead them to understand how the piece was created and what it truly is or maybe lead them to another conclusion altogether:

1. My first and biggest issue with the piece is that after completely drying, the folds and creases created by the faces and shoulders of my subjects become almost invisible unless closely inspected. I want the piece to be one that draws the viewer nearer, but also one that gives the viewer a reason to come closer in the first place. I knew that I could use watered-down gouache to give the entire piece a colored tint. In doing so the moisture would pool around the creases, accentuating them. At first I was planning on using a grey or very watered-down black but came to the conclusion to use color after some thought. These lines on the paper are very universal. At once they represent river systems, veins, animal paths, cracks in a surface, etc. I wanted to tie them into the idea of the subjects that they are the collective evidence of and elected to use a red tint, giving it a somewhat fleshy feel, and more closely referencing vein systems that thrive just under the layers of skin of the subjects whose faces created the work.

2. The work is (in my opinion) immediately read as an abstract two dimensional pattern. However, I consider this piece to be a sculpture. I was immediately opposed to the idea of framing the piece because it would further solidify the idea of it being flat. However, I ran into a fascinating artist in some of my research who builds frames that, in addition to traditionally framing the piece, stretch out away from it, creating a compelling three dimensional space in front of areas of the two dimensional artwork. I have begun construction on a three dimensional frame like that for this piece that creates a perfect square space that frames the space of the sculpture where most subjects placed their face. Doing this, I am using a frame that traditionally accentuates the two dimensional nature of an artwork, and implementing it in a way that gives attention to the sculptural aspect of the piece. I really like that contradiction a lot. (I still want to add more and extent the square frame further from the traditional frame, but this is the piece's current state.)