If inanimate objects had emotions and could express them, how would they do it? What would they say? And how would an audience react to these messages? These are questions that I have wondered recently, which have brought me to my idea for my IP project: I want to give inanimate objects the ability to display their emotions through facial expressions and possibly dialogue and then note physical and emotional reactions from the public. Inanimate objects embody certain traits through their material, their aesthetic appearance, and how they are used. These attributes can give the object a human-like personality. I have decided to take these thoughts and bring them into reality by actually putting specific, large-scale facial expressions directly on objects out in public.
My project will have a social aspect through the relationship between the objects’ emotions and people’s emotions. I expect that people will have a strong reaction, whether it is through laughter, surprise, disgust, or anger, every time they see everyday inanimate objects with faces communicating a very human idea. By exploring these physical and emotional reactions from the audience, I will get a better understanding of the connection between human emotion and material objects. Will the viewers feel an emotional connection to the object the face is placed upon or will they simply feel an emotion from the large-scale facial expressions?
In order to accomplish my project, I will use paper, pens, and colored pencils that I already own to draw the facial features, but I will need to purchase magnetic sheets in order to attach my drawings to metal objects. I also need money to laminate my drawings or to make them into window clings. To pay for these materials, I will use money that I have set aside for school supplies, and I will create these in my studio. My projects will be displayed around campus and downtown Ann Arbor on many different objects.
6 Important Sources and References
1) Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen
This couple is important for a few different reasons. Their large-scale works of objects bring about the topic of material culture. Having them so large also makes them humorous in a way that my giant faces are. Also, more recently, their public work has a relationship between object and site, which my faces will have with the objects to which they are attached.
2) Terry Borders who makes Bent Objects
The way he creates a personality for the objects is a bit different than my idea, but I love his style and humor that he incorporates into his art. He attaches wire limbs to the objects and sets them up in a scene to display a type of emotion and personality that the object might have or a situation that they might be in.
3) Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture by Marita Sturken and Lisa Cartwright
I have been reading this book for my Visual and Material Culture class this semester. It has many topics that are relevant to my work such as interpretations of images, advertising to people on the go, pop art’s social critique of consumer culture, and commodity fetishism. This book makes me think about material culture, which is very interesting to me, in ways that I never thought about before.
4) French Artist JR
He puts photographs of eyes and faces on buildings and structures. It is a much different concept from mine, because he is bringing recognition and confidence to people around the world who need it most. He makes people living on the bare minimum models for the day in his artwork. The similarities of our giant faces and the differences between our concepts have made me think about the possibilities of taking my concept in a different direction.
5) Tim Burton
His illustrations and creativity have always been an inspiration to me. His dark humor really shines through in his drawings of characters, as they are distorted, odd, and very intriguing. I have always respected and related to his creepy humor very much.
6) Real faces and facial expressions
I do not think it would be fair to draw human faces expressing emotion without looking at real people expressing real emotions about real topics.
Week-to-week timeline:
Oct 8 make a sad face and put on Borders
Oct 15 make more faces and put on other sites
Oct 22 think about interactivity and displaying dialogue
Oct 29 think more about the documentation of reactions to my project
Nov 5 think about statements the faces could make
*Nov 10 Grant Application Due
Nov 12 explore other ways to communicate dialogue
Nov 19 explore other ways to attach the faces to objects
Nov 26 explore other materials to draw on than paper
Dec 3 explore different drawing styles
*Dec 5 IP Faculty Consultations- Materials Due
Dec 10 formulate ideas, where do I want to go with this?
*Dec 15 Presentations
Dec 17 over break, put my faces on things in Grand Rapids
*Jan 5 First Draft of Written Thesis Due
Jan 7 2D vs. 3D
Jan 14 try an even larger scale
Jan 21 think about other body parts (hair, nose ears)
Jan 28 still think about other body parts (arms, feet)
Feb 4 try just humorous
Feb 11 try just seriousness
Feb 18 indoor vs. outdoor
Feb 25 campus vs. residential areas
Mar 3 older people vs. college students vs. children
Mar 10 think about the possibilities of using these as advertisements/posters
Mar 17 make more faces, display, document
Mar 24 make more faces, display, document
Mar 31 make more faces, display, document
* Apr 3 Work Due to Gallery Installers
Apr 7 displaying my documentation
Apr 14 formulating thoughts, writing
Apr 21 finishing writing
*Apr 22 Final Written Thesis Due
My drawn face on a dumpster
Claes Oldenburg, Dropped Cone (Cologne, Germany)
JR, Favela Morro Da Providencia, Rio de Janeiro
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