Sunday, April 26, 2009

Infinity

This work is something I made in 2004. I have been wanting to show it for ages now but because it's kind of big (65cm or 25,5inches), it is not easy to photograph and I kept postponing buying more backgroundpaper for taking pictures. Yesterday, it was kind of cloudy and the ferns and garden looked so pretty that I tried to shoot it outside.
The reason I want to show you now is because of the structure of this work. I put so
many marks and bumps and structures in there and then washed it with oxydes. I kind of like the 'rough' effect of it.
This is also what I will do with the wall art feelings. However, the marks are not that prominent so it will show a lot lighter depending on how much oxyde I leave on the piece.
Anyway, this work was an assignment at the academy of fine arts.
The assignment was called 'infinity'. Translate this into shape. Design a shape, starting from a full block of clay, finish this thight, sloping or angular. Mould this form and repeat it into a spacious concept.

Moulding is not my piece of cake but the theme infinity fascinated me. When I started thinking about infinity, the universe was what I came up with. But how can you translate that into shape without the typical moon and stars?

For me it was clear that the work had to have a horizon, what on itself is also infinite.
At the same time, the work had to be in motion.
As a child, I used to have a kind of ball where in the middle of the ball was a plastic disc and one could stand on it. You could clasp the ball between your feet and jump a few centimetres away. One could jump on top of the world.
That's why I decided to make a flat disc which I put on top of a half ball so that the disc could move around. On top of the disc I made a moon landscape to characterize the universe.