TAKE NOTES
Take notes on the vocabulary and on the following artists.
Some of this information may be on your final exam.
- Who are a few of the Modular Sculpture artists?
- How did they create their Modular sculptures?
- What materials did they use?
- What was their inspiration?
- What is their module?
- What could our project be?
Modular
Sculpture
Module:
Identical segments
used to create a form.
Reach,
Dror Benshetrit,
2012, 5-meter
high,
1.5 ton metal
sculpture, Brazil
Spain
Yep, that’s me visiting Andy Goldsworthy’s
Five Men, Seventeen Days, Fifteen Boulders, One Wall,
2010 at Storm King in November!
What does Modular Mean?
• Constructed with standardized units or
dimensions
What is the Module?
HISTORY of Modular
Constructivism
• Modular constructivism- is a style of sculpture that emerged
in the 1950s & 1960s and was associated with Erwin Hauer
• It’s based on carefully structured modules which allow for
intricate, and in some cases infinite patterns of repetition.
• Can you see how sculpture turns into inspiration for
Architecture?
1. Sol LeWitt
Born in Connecticut in 1928 and graduated from
Syracuse University in 1949 and passed away in 2007.
Interested in:
Volume
Transparency
Sequences
Variations
Irregularity
Sol
LeWitt
2. Erwin Hauer
• is an Austrian-born American
sculptor who studied first at
Vienna's Academy Arts later
under Josef Albers at Yale.
• Hauer was an early founder of Modular Constructivism
and was especially known
for his minimalist,
repetitive pieces
in the 1950s and 1960s.
This is made of concrete!
Erwin Hauer
3. Isamu Noguchi
• Japan and New York
• Did not belong to any particular
movement.
• 1904-1988
• Created sculptures, gardens, furniture,
lighting, ceramics, architecture, and set
designs for Broadway plays and film.
Additional examples of modular sculpture.
http://laurasantini.com/ObjectPages/mod_chain.html
http://vi.sualize.us/view/fd637781cc3f77f5b172387cb60512e9/
Notice how the hexagons are repeated
to create an almost wave-like
appearance.
Giant Gorilla
Constructed
with coat
hangers
= REPETITION
The Module = hangers
More Modular
Sculpture…
4. Jennifer Maestre is a South
African-born, Massachusetts-based
artist, known for her unique
pencil sculptures.
The Module = colored pencils
Line
• A continuous extent of length, straight or
curved, without breadth or thickness; the
trace of a moving point.
Negative Space
• Negative space, in art, is the space around and
between the subject(s) of an image.
Repetition
• Repetition is created when objects, shapes,
space, light, direction, lines etc. are repeated
in artwork.
Movement
•
The act or process of moving, especially change of place or position, an
effort. In art movement has to be more subtle, i.e., the artist must capture
how movement would look without actually making the artwork move.
Emphasis:
Line,
negative
space,
movement
and
repetition.
This is a great
example of
movement and
repetition.
So, can you guess what our next
And final Sculpture project will be?
Modular Toothpick
Sculptures
Purpose: To create a free
standing linear sculpture
composed of units.
Objectives: Student
will design modular unit
using at least 2 toothpicks.
Construct as many modular
units as possible with 100
toothpicks. Design sculpture
made from modular units.
Materials: Toothpicks - 100
per student - zip lock bags,
Elmer's glue, hot glue, Foam
core, plaster gauze, spray
Your Modular Sculpture Assignment
1. You will be given approximately 100 toothpicks
2. Begin by gluing two, three or four toothpicks together creating a unit. The unit can be
a geometric shape such as a square or triangle or as simple as two toothpicks glued
side by side (examples: ∧,∨, ×,>,≠) Try to make something different from the
person next to you.
3. Make 4 thumbnail sketches of the modular unit you plan on using.
4. Create as many units as possible using all the toothpicks. Construction of the units
can’t be done quickly. The wood glue will take approximately 30 minutes to dry.
5. Once all units have been created, construct a three dimensional form using all the
units. The form created must show movement, repetition, negative space, and line.
6. The base for the sculpture will be Foam Core or cardboard. Plaster wrap will be added
to the Styrofoam to make the base sturdier and to keep the base from disintegrating
when spray-painted. Once the sculpture is created and the base has been plaster
wrapped, spray-painted all in one color. More than one coat may be needed to
completely cover the sculpture.
7. Critique finished work. Discuss what is successful with each work.
Former student’s examples
What shape is the module?
What can you
do with a
simple shape?