Mod 6 Videos Blog Review

This week we have been asked to watch the following videos and answer the questions below:
Through the Eyes of a Sculptor
Glass and Ceramics
Installation Art

1. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

Video #1: Through the Eyes of the Sculptor

The concepts I learned from this video were the many steps it takes to create a large sculpture.  The video documents the master sculptor Emmanuel Fillion while he creates a statue he has named Genesis.  To see the piece go from initial concept sketch, to clay models, to castings and then to the final piece was incredible.  I also found the process by which the limestone and marble are harvested from the quarries to be helpful in my understanding of the material used.  What a massive undertaking it was before modern machinery was available.  To have to use a system of pulleys, cables and carefully moving them down a mountain by using and continually moving wooden blocks for the marble to slide down on.  It’s easy to see how someone could have been killed during this process.  Another concept I gained a better understanding of was the use of a team of sculptors to create a piece, each specializing in a particular area.  I liked the comparison used in the video to an orchestra; each person holds a unique and important role in the final presentation. 

Video #2: Glass and Ceramics

The main concept I took from this was the process of creating the glass and the ceramic pieces.  It’s fascinating to me that the glass production seems to be very similar to how it was initially achieved; the glassblower has to use a very delicate process to create the finished piece.  He must carefully roll and then blow into the piece and all before it starts to cool, so that the optimal shape is achieved.  In ceramics on the other hand, appears to be easily made on a production line.  The use of modern technology has assisted in the mass production of these pieces. Another key concept was the way glass is used in architecture.  Glass is used as a material that adds an artistic quality to a structure all while being completely functional and able to sustain even the largest skyscrapers. 

Video #3: Installation Art

The key concept that this video helped me to visualize was the actual installation of an Installation Art exhibit, I enjoyed watching the artist Martin Boyce assemble his installation and seeing just how much work goes into those final few days before the exhibit is open to the public.  Another concept the video helped me to grasp was just what installation art is.  I feel it was best defined by artist Susan Hiller who said “Installation Art is the relationship between the images, the space and the viewer that make the meaning”

 
2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

This sculptor video helped me gain a better knowledge of the process itself and the idea of modeling to create the final sculpture.  The glass and ceramic video helped me to better understand the text, in particular the section on casting.  Seeing how the molds are created and then used enhanced what I had read in chapter 11.  The Installation Art video expanded on the concepts of video in installation art.  It helps to see this technique used rather than just reading about it in a text book.

3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the topics: Sculpture, Installation, and Craft?

I enjoyed Through the Eyes of the Sculptor and Installation Art videos.  I found them both to be very informative and helpful in expanding what I had read in the text.  They both showcased an artist creating art, to me that is a huge help in completing my learning of key concepts we have gone over in the text.  The Ceramics and Glass video I didn’t enjoy, it seemed dated and didn’t really help me in furthering my understanding of the concepts that were gone over in the text.