Seaforms: an installation project.

What could be more enticing than a theme inspired by sea life? Whether we're inclined to beachcombing or losing ourselves to the rhythms of the crashing waves, the ocean draws us near. Perhaps this is because we are reminded, consciously or subconsciously, that the ocean is where it all began.

Walking into Inspiration

Carol K. Brown's Still Lives installation at the Ambrosino Gallery in Miami, Florida--where one walks through a gallery of 243 small bronze-cast shapes suggesting aquatic life forms in a tidal pool--inspired the following lesson for a high-school, advanced ceramics class. The seventeen students were introduced to installation art and explored the designs of mother nature in terms of mass, shape and form, texture, and color.

Laying a Foundation

Prior knowledge of hand-building and several weeks of practice throwing on the wheel allowed me as guest artist, my students, and the high-school art teacher to focus on introducing works by artists who found inspiration from the sea: glass artist Dale Chihuly, clay artists Ken Price, John Bennett, and Vipoo Srivilasa to name a few. We began a continuing series of dialogues with our students about the shapes, textures, and colors chosen by the artists. We felt it was important for students to understand that artists make choices not always to represent but to capture the essence of a form through their own artistic lens.

We also introduced installations by Carol K. Brown, Maya Lin, Judy Pfaff, and Ann Hamilton emphasizing the relationship of part to whole: a grouping of objects or effects that relate to one another thematically. Students understood that this installation required communication and collaboration with one another.

Planning and Explorations

We devised a worksheet to help with the planning. The worksheet directed students to find and research at least three sea forms; sketch them, write brief notes about each describing colors, textures, shape, how it moves, whether it's static or stationary, eats, protects itself, and where it lives. They were also asked to sketch their own versions of the sea animal/plant eliminating or emphasizing attributes of the original animal or plant to enhance the overall design.

Students presented their ideas to classmates who were encouraged to offer suggestions and encouragement thereby demonstrating the collaborative nature of the project. We discussed possible approaches for building the forms, keeping in mind we wanted to maintain an environment where it was okay to put your ideas out there no matter how unfeasible. Students began in a variety of ways; using molds from found objects in the artroom, throwing cylinders, and knocking them off center to create a more fluid core. We practiced making thick coils from dowels and explored many different ways for making textures with clay.

The Installation

Students decided oil a color application method used by clay artist Ken Price, whose biomorphic forms are painted with multiple layers of acrylic paint. The surfaces are sanded so that the humps and hollows reveal layers of color. The forms dazzle and reflect light as do objects on the ocean's floor. Their decision greatly enhanced the outcome of the installation because the gallery space was painted entirely black. With the backdrop set, we directed the spotlights directly on students' forms to emphasize the shadows and luminescent effects of the layers of paint, thus creating the illusion of walking on the ocean's floor. Bags of sand provided a uniform substrate that outlined the contours of the forms and contained the area for viewing.

One parent's comment topped off the reception when he said, "This is just great ... such sophisticated learning from high-school students. We need to see more of it."

Resources

Bennett, J. "Letting go of tradition," Ceramics Monthly, 49 (5), 2001, 60-61.

Cousteau, J. The Ocean World. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1985.

Ford, K. "The Mythical Art of Vipoo Srivilasa." Ceramics: Art and Perception, 34, 1998, 19-21.

King, S.S. 2000. "Kenneth Price at James Kelly Contemporary," Art in America, 2000.

Kopolos, J. "Carol K. Brown at Norah Haime," Art in America, 2001.

Morgan, S. & P. Lalor. Oceanlife. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., 2001.

NATIONAL STANDARD

Students describe the origins of specific images and ideas and explain why they are of value in their artwork and in the work of others.

WEB LINKS

www.ArtandCulture.com Excellent resource for art definitions, works, and biographical information on artists for the visual and performing arts.

wwwchihuly.com Dale Chihuly's website. Excellent source for his works, installations and exhibits.

www.kenprice.com Ken Price's website. Includes biography, images of his studio, and recent works.

Sea Facts

The ocean floor is the setting for what is by far the largest geological feature on the planet--a single 37,000-mile-long mountain range that snakes its way continuously through the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic oceans completely encircling the planet. As a solvent, the ocean's water has just about every chemical element in some form and quantity. Minerals, essential to marine life, are as abundant as oxygen. The transparent nature of water allows light to penetrate the upper layers of the ocean so plants can photosynthesize food. Temperature remains fairly constant because it takes a lot of energy to heat up such a large body of water--only the surface shows significant variations. Given these conditions, it is no wonder life first arose from the ocean and continues to this day to house the greatest assortment of animal and plant life.

Jane Graziano, Ed.D., is an assistant professor and coordinator of Art Education at Rowan University, New Jersey. She worked with Melanie McGuckin, an art teacher who worked at Pitman High School, Pitman, New Jersey, and who is currently teaching art at Shawnee High School, Medford, New Jersey.