Tacoma, WA
020624
UPS DMS

Assignment 1: Personal Space
Untitled
[Wire, Pin, Balloon, Twine] 

Concept

When I set out for this piece, I aimed to use baloons and pins as a metaphor for personal space. The risk of popping balloons would force the viewer to respect the space of the piece. As the concept evolved, I realized that as an artist and individual, I would rather take this opportunity to invite the viewer for a closer look than to make them shy away. I wanted to juxtapose the elegance and simplicity of everyday objects with the chaotic thought processes and storytelling I do in my freetime. Come and enjoy the everyday silliness with me - piece together the scenes of my wire world. 

Process

This project started with a lot of experimentation - how close can I come to popping a balloon without actually popping it? I was able to pierce balloons with pins and wire sulptures, but they would only stay inflated for a few hours. In addition, I found that if the balloon were to pop with pins in it, they are shot out at a high velocity (stuck in the wall kind of velocity). I also experimented with using lights to cause heat expansion of the balloons, and was rewarded with melted latex. These were safety concerns not only for me as the artist, but for my eventual audience too. I was at a loss, and so I began just playing with the materials. Inspired by the accidental piercings in the wall, I built the ladder of pins, and the rest of the wire world followed. I wanted a sense of elegance, so I made sure that all of the wire figures were balanced - there is no tape or fixture holding them in place.