- San Diego State University

FIXED
_______________
A Project
Presented to the
Faculty of
San Diego State University
_______________
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Master of Fine Arts
in
Art
_______________
by
Jordan Douglas Gehman
Summer 2013
iii
Copyright © 2013
by
Jordan Douglas Gehman
All Rights Reserved
iv
ABSTRACT OF THE PROJECT
Fixed
by
Jordan Douglas Gehman
Master of Fine Arts in Art
San Diego State University, 2013
In June of 2008 I was involved in a severe accident that altered the way I perceive
and interact with objects. The everyday tasks I had taken for granted became exhausting
chores. Using the kitchen became a painful and complicated affair, relaxing no longer took
the form of sitting in a chair but rather a mind-altered haze of prescriptions, and getting to the
bathroom became a journey of dread. Fixed is a body of work that articulates my experiences
in the hospital as well as explores the altered emotional and physical states of the healing
process beyond.
Fixed investigates the relationships between pain, grief, humor, and irony. The work
inhabits the grey area between these emotions and speaks to the awkward situations they
create. Through the organization of materials and imagery from domestic and medical
environments, I create a narrative that speaks of the therapeutic process. The passage through
a physical and metaphorical doorway into hazy halls creates an altered and unfamiliar
environment within eccentric objects are the focal points.
Once inside the environment visual and visceral information from my personal
experiences are combined with iconic utilitarian forms that allude to a human figure. These
objects are presented in vulnerable positions in order to evoke a sense of pity. I question
utility and purpose with delicate linear structures that are unable to support the body. While
these devices reference use, in actuality they function as little more than burdens and bad
ideas. My works are designed to be nearly useful objects and through these I question
correction and refinement.
Fixed was installed in the Jackson Gallery at San Diego State University from April
11-16 2009.
v
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................. iv
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................. vi
LIST OF PLATES .................................................................................................................. vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................... viii
CHAPTER
1
INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................1 2
DEVELOPMENT OF FUNCTIONAL / DYSFUNCTIONAL LANGUAGE .............4 Functional Influences ...............................................................................................4 Dysfunctional Influences .........................................................................................6 3
ARTISTIC INFLUENCES ..........................................................................................10 Rebecca Horn .........................................................................................................10 Martin Puryear .......................................................................................................11 Gord Peteran ..........................................................................................................12 4
PERSONAL EXPERIEBCES WITH PAIN AND GRIEF .........................................13 5
THE INSTALLATION AND WORKS.......................................................................16 6
CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................33 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................34 vi
LIST OF FIGURES
PAGE
Figure 1. The goupil flying machine (initial test version). ........................................................7 Figure 2. Chindogu - Training High Heel. ................................................................................8 Figure 3. Chindogu - Butter Stick. .............................................................................................9 vii
LIST OF PLATES
PAGE
Plate 1. Doorway (Installation View) ......................................................................................17 Plate 2. Prepare for the Worst .................................................................................................19 Plate 3. Discerning the Damage, Self Inspection, and Sanitary Leisure (Installation
View)............................................................................................................................20 Plate 4. Discerning the Damage ..............................................................................................21 Plate 5. Self Inspection (Detail) ...............................................................................................22 Plate 6. Discerning the Damage Barrow, & Anxious Wreck (Installation View)....................23 Plate 7. Sanitary Leisure ..........................................................................................................24 Plate 8. Depressed, Burden, & Fixed (Installation View) .......................................................25 Plate 9. Burden .........................................................................................................................26 Plate 10. Fixed & Burden (Installation View) .........................................................................27 Plate 11. Fixed (Detail) ............................................................................................................28 Plate 12. Anxious Wreck, Barrow, & Discerning the Damage (Installation View).................30 Plate 13. Anxious Wreck (Detail) .............................................................................................31 Plate 14. Discerning the Damage & Bicycle (Installation view) .............................................32 viii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First I would like to thank my family for all of their love and support. Mom and Dad,
you have been the best parents a weird kid could have, I appreciate everything you have done
for me. Joshua thanks for believing in me, without a big brother like you I wouldn’t be me.
To all my grandparents, thank you for all your support and teaching me the skills to get here.
Donna and Barry, thank you for taking me to art museums, and Debbie, thank you for all the
encouragement and the comic relief.
Thank you thesis committee, Wendy Maruyama, Matthew Hebert, Sondra Sherman,
and Vanessa Malcarne, your input and suggestions have been essential in the refinement my
ideas. Thanks Wendy for encouraging me to think and make differently. Thank you, Sondra
for being upfront and honest. Thanks to Matt for calming me down, and helping me see my
work with new eyes.
Thank you to all my studio mates past and present, your input and ideas have had an
impact on both my work and me.
A Special Thanks to:
Brad Johns: Thank you for challenging every decision I made.
Marcus Papay: It has been fun watching you make things.
Laura Prieto-Velasco: Thank you for your endless amount of ideas.
Todd Partridge: You are the coolest dude I know, thanks for all your help.
Park: You inspire me with your dedication and heart.
Adam Manley: Thank you for understanding my rage and making me laugh.
Barbara Knuth: Thank you for being you. I hope all good things come to you.
Bryan Czibesz, I don’t know how to describe how much your input has helped me.
1
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
A person’s primary physical interactions are with designed objects, beginning with
the crib and continuing throughout life with the spoon, phone, chair, bicycle, car, etc. With
this in mind, it is clear to me that there is an inherent language of function engrained into
everything we use. Our lives are filled with tools1 that enable and guide our physical
interaction with the built environment. The formal and material qualities of utilitarian objects
imply their function to the user, for instance picking up a utensil or sitting in a chair is an
intuitive human interaction. The relationship we develop with tools from early on facilitates
an intuitive relationship between humans and objects. I am primarily interested in the scale of
furniture, it’s not large and overwhelming nor tiny and delicate, it is designed to support the
body and when the expected relationship is altered, furniture takes on new meanings and
roles.
This body of work encompasses my education in traditional studio furniture making,
an investigation of function as a language, and my personal experiences with physical
traumas. I aim to challenge how we interact with and understand the role of functional
objects in our lives, creating furniture to imply purpose and convey emotion. The works in
Fixed employ furniture as a prop to communicate a personal narrative of fragility and
vulnerability. To create these works I dismantled, re/combined, and subverted functional
forms to create altered representations and interpretations of these objects.
The foundation of my conceptual investigation of function as a language can be
attributed to the ideas and works of Marcel Duchamp and Joseph Kosuth. These artists
transformed my understanding of what functional objects are or can become in relationship
to an artistic process and product. These two provocateurs works question why and how we
understand items as ordinary as a chair or shovel, their works open new ways of thinking
1
For the Purposes if this document Tool will be defined as any instrument of manual operation. (1) In general I
use this definition to encompass all types of functional object including the hammer, fork, chair, sawhorse, etc.
(“Tool,” def. 1)
2
about fine art and its relationship with functional objects. Through the use of juxtaposition
and word play Duchamp and Kosuth subvert our understanding and have greatly influenced
my pursuit to decontextualize the furniture-like objects I make.
Duchamp’s Readymade series consists of prefabricated objects with minimal or no
alterations that were placed into a fine art context simply by declaring them art. Works in this
series included pieces such as a wall hung shovel entitled In Advance of a Broken Arm
(1915), Bottle Rack (1914) a self-described work, and Fountain (1917) which is little more
than a urinal, titled, signed with a surname, and placed on a pedestal. These challenging
works question the everyday object and force viewers to reevaluate them for their formal and
artistic qualities. Through these gestures of contextual reassignment Duchamp introduced us
to found objects, and in turn altered how we perceive the role of function in contemporary
art.
Working years later the conceptual artist Joseph Kosuth created a piece he called One
and Three Chairs (1965) which consists of an actual chair, the image of a chair, and an
enlarged print of the definition of chair placed next to each other, questioning which is more
authentic. Considering this piece through the lens of a gallery or museum, the actual chair
becomes non-functional, as patrons are not permitted to use these objects in the physical
sense, subverting the actual chair into a visual representation of a chair. The image of a chair
accomplished the same result, and reading the definition of chair generates the image of a
chair in your mind. This act of negation was the catalyst for a realization that the idea of an
object can be as powerful as an actual object. In an essay on the intention of artists Kosuth
wrote,
Conceptual art, simply put, had as its basic tenet an understanding that artists
work with meaning and not with shapes, colors, or materials. Anything can be
employed by the artist to set the work into play- including shapes, colors, and
materials - but the form of presentation itself has no value independent of its role
as a vehicle for the idea of the work (Kosuth 407).
In response to this conceptually driven method of working I have developed a process of
making in which I contemplate the meanings of each shape, material, and color choice. I
consider the influence of each element in a work independently, and how it is transformed
when combined with other elements within the object to better understand how material
relationships and interpretations are altered through contextual associations.
3
In my life and studio practice I believe there is not much learning to be done until we
venture beyond our comfort limits of practical understanding. When we are taken beyond our
threshold of comfort and into new experiences and ways of seeing, those moments are
worthy of further investigation. Through the work in Fixed I aim to push furniture beyond its
supplemental role of utility and into an environment that questions how we understand and
interact with it.
4
CHAPTER 2
DEVELOPMENT OF FUNCTIONAL /
DYSFUNCTIONAL LANGUAGE
There are endless variations and purposes of tools, which are made from countless
materials and come in any color imaginable. Yet, their relationship to the human body
remains a common thread. When we use tools they physically become extensions of the
body, and may be used to symbolically convey location, time, and context. The viewer’s
familiarity with utilitarian objects allows artists to engage the viewer by evoking common
experiences with tools, and through their design, material, and color we can alter their
meaning. Our environment has a great influence on how we understand and navigate the
designed world. The tools we encounter on a day-to-day basis form the foundation for our
individual language of function. To create the works in Fixed, I employed visual elements
from multiple sources; drawing from Shaker furniture, antique farming equipment, and failed
inventions whose designs are obsolete. My works are layered with contradictions that
coalesce into works that provoke questions rather than fulfill practical needs.
FUNCTIONAL INFLUENCES
I was born and raised in Lancaster County Pennsylvania, also home to the largest
population of Amish2 and Mennonite3 people in the country. Better known as the
Pennsylvania Dutch4 these religious sects are recognized for their rejection of modern
technology, and embrace of simplistic lifestyles. They produce practically everything for
themselves and their communities, creating a unique language of function specific the region
of southeast Pennsylvania. The art and craft they create is rooted in traditional utility and
2
Amish are an orthodox Anabaptist sect that separated from the Mennonites in the late 17th century and exists
today primarily in Ohio and southeast Pennsylvania. (Wikipedia, “Amish”)
3
Mennonites are a branch of the Christian church, with roots in the radical wing of the 16th century Protestant
Reformation. (Wikipedia, “Mennonite”)
4
Pennsylvania Dutch refers to immigrants and their descendants from southwestern Germany and Switzerland
who settled in Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries. (Wikipedia, “Pensylvania Dutch”)
5
recognized for fine quilts, furniture, and Fraktur5. I am a descendent of eight generations of
Pennsylvania Dutch farmers, makers, and crafts people, which has framed the way I came to
understand tools and the designed world. Growing up in an environment surrounded by this
culture has instilled in me an aptitude to work with my hands and skepticism of my pursuit to
do so. Of course I did not realize the influence this way of life would have on my studio
practice until much later, I now recognize the impact that my upbringing has had on content
and formal qualities of my work.
My interest in Shaker6 furniture began in 2005 when I had the opportunity to work on
a project for the artist Michael Queenland and the Institute of Contemporary Art at the Maine
College of Art. I worked under Queenland with a group of woodworking students to recreate
an exhibition of Shaker objects at two times the scale of their original design. Through this
experience I was able to visit the last functioning Shaker village in Sabbathday Lake Maine.
This first-hand experience allowed me to interact with the carefully crafted world of the
Shaker buildings and furniture. Designing and making everything from architecture, to
furniture, and clothing; Shaker artisans had a strict attention to detail in their work. Utility,
simplicity and craftsmanship only begin to describe the wide variety of objects produced by
Shaker hands. They designed and built objects on the basis of need for their community, as
the Shakers did not believe in excess. Precision and order was evident in all they did for
example the Mount Lebanon community woodworkers numbered their chairs with sizes, zero
being the smallest and seven being the largest, while the seamstresses of the same
community would systematically catalog the measurements of each of the Brothers and
Sisters for each garment they wore. Driven by their faith they believed making perfect
objects was an act of spirituality (Sprigg). The practical ingenuity of the Shakers lives on
today in objects such as the flat broom, and the table saw whose invention is credited to
Sister Tabitha Babbitt. The Shakers desire to seek simplicity and utility in all facets of life
have been a large influence on the utilitarian forms I employ in my work.
5
Fraktur is defined as a stylized highly decorative watercolor or watercolor and ink painting in the
Pennsylvania- German tradition, often bearing elaborate calligraphy and standardized motifs, as birds, tulips.
(Wikipedia, “Fraktur”).
6
The Shakers are a religious sect thought to a development of the Quakers in eighteenth century England.
Founded on the teaching on Ann Lee, Shakers today are known for their cultural contributions and their model
of equality of the sexes. (Wikipedia, “Shakers”).
6
DYSFUNCTIONAL INFLUENCES
Objects that failed to live up to their intended use, or became obsolete due to
technological advances fascinate me. Early flying machines, rusted old farming equipment,
and antique medical tools provide a thought-provoking aesthetic enhanced by their inability
to work. Tools and implements with seemingly far-fetched designs are interesting to study
for their formal qualities. The process of design and product innovation inherently generates
flawed ideas and failed attempts, which are often more interesting than successful outcomes.
For example, the flying machine designs of Alexandre Goupil are absurd considering what
we know about aviation design, but his ideas and renderings of possible flying machines are
intriguing images of what could be fantastic sculptural objects. Groupil’s initial test version
(see Figure 1) of a flying machine from 1883 resembles a combination of a bicycle and a hot
air balloon, with a propeller mounted to the front and a rudder on the rear. (Gray) His
drawings create a sense of imagined flight and employ the functional language of already
championed technology, combining known tools to create an unknown device. Although the
technology to make a sustained heavier than air craft would not come for another twenty
years after Groupil’s first attempt, his work is a stepping stone in the process of man
achieving flight. When designing objects myself I often consider how the tools of our world
could be ever so slightly different with the smallest of changes in history.
Chindogu is the Japanese art of “un-useless” inventions; these innovations are often
humorous and free from practical concerns. These objects are not created for artistic or
monetary reasons but created by anyone who sees a void in the world of modified tools.
Many of these objects exist in a grey area, where they appear to be useful and useless
simultaneously. It is important to note that Chindogu are anonymously made offerings to the
world, therefore are not ideas to be copyrighted, patented, collected or owned. There are ten
tenets of Chindogu and the first two are its defining characteristics,
Rule #1 – Chindogu cannot be for real use - It is fundamental to the spirit of
Chindogu that inventions claiming Chindogu status must be, from a practical
point of view, (almost) completely useless. If you invent something which turns
out to be so handy that you use it all the time, then you have failed to make a
Chindogu.
Rule # 2 – A Chindogu must exist – You’re not allowed to use a Chindogu, but it
must be made. You have to be able to hold it in your hand and think ‘I can
7
Figure 1. The
T goupil flying
fl
machiine (initial ttest version)).
actuallly imagine someone
s
using this. Alm
most.’ In ordeer to be useless, it first m
must
be (Kaawakami 8)..
dogu objectss are created
d from recogn
nizable mateerials and tools, often coombining thee
Chind
formss and functio
ons of usefull things to crreate the praactically uselless. For insttance the
Train
ning High Heel
He (see Figu
ure 2) is simp
ply a high heeel shoe with
th two small wheels mouunted
8
ogu - Trainiing High Heeel.
Figurre 2. Chindo
to either side of th
he heel, apparently for stability
s
purpposes or to aallow the useer to roll dow
wn
the sttreet. When I consider ou
ur societies fascination
f
w
with gadgetrry these almoost completeely
useless objects seeem like products found at a departm
ment store. M
Many of thesse pieces
comb
bine broad raange of mateerials and con
ntextual appplications of tools that arre seamlesslyy
integrrated. A perffect examplee is the Butteer Stick (see Figure 3), w
where glue sttick technoloogy
and to
oast collide. I find this practice
p
of crreating purpoosefully “unn-useless” toools compelliing
and th
he works of Chindogu embody my love
l
for absuurdity and huumor in everryday life.
The duality of my inffluences play
ys an importaant role in thhe situating oof my work
betweeen function
n and dysfunction. I striv
ve to make obbjects that aare formally succinct likee the
cabin
netry of Shak
kers, but also
o have the ab
bility bring hhumor into eeveryday lifee. In my studdio
practice I error on
n the side off the ridiculo
ous and by dooing so I aim
m to bridge tthe gap of m
my
functtional and dy
ysfunctional language to create workk that has muultiple levelss of
interp
pretations baased on the language of function
f
thatt the viewer brings to thee work.
9
u - Butter Sttick.
Figure 3. Chindogu
10
CHAPTER 3
ARTISTIC INFLUENCES
Tools can be metaphors for the human experience. Many artists work within the
language of function, manipulating and combining materials and forms from every
environment imaginable. The works of Rebecca Horn, Martin Puryear, and Gord Peteran
address the language of function blurring the lines between object, installation, and
performance. Each of them investigates different aspects of function, but all employ tools as
a means to communicate their ideas. Their works resonate with me and have acted as
inspiration and a foundation for the contextual placement of my work.
REBECCA HORN
Between 1968 and 1972 Rebecca Horn presented a series of performances based on
notion of self-perception. These works were inspired by and the result of Horn’s long term
hospitalization for lung poisoning. In an interview with Germano Celant (1993), Horn
discusses these early works and her strong desire to communicate through the body. The
performances that resulted had limited participants and focused on one central figure. The
performer wore garments custom made to fit their body. Many of Horns body extensions
either strapped to or tied around the performer, they varied in material and scale but all
created a boundary between the performer and the environment around them. In some works
the movements of the body were exaggerated and in other cases the performer was restricted.
While wearing the objects the performers were isolated inside of the garment, creating a
completely singular experience. For example, Cornucopia (1970) straps around the head and
chest of a woman, covering the mouth and transitioning into two curved funnels placed over
the breasts. Separating the breasts and creating sensory dialog, a direct connection from the
mouth to breasts. This intimate bondage-like device creates an experience of altered
interaction and self-perception. Simultaneously, suggesting homage for one’s own breasts, a
tool designed to provide the user a new form of communication with their own body, and
creating an altered method of experiencing the self. In other works from the same period, the
movements of the performers were exaggerated rather than limited. In the piece Movable
11
Shoulder Extensions (1971) two long black spiers are attached to the shoulders of a
performer, the straps cross the chest and connected by around their thighs. The movements of
the performer are transfered from his legs up to the long shoulder extensions, and produce a
scissor like movement in the space above the performer. (Celant, Spector, Bruno, and
Schmidt) This far-reaching body extension allows the performer to reinterpret the
relationship with their body and the environment around them. These works rely on the codependency between object and performer to create the full experience of the work, and her
tools embody a unique language of function.
MARTIN PURYEAR
Martin Puryear uses the technical language of woodworking to create non –
functional forms. His works are typically non-representational and his palate is often limited
to a few materials, primarily wood. His use of shape and surface texture transcend his
material choices and become the essence of his works. The marks left behind by the tools
used to create them are evidence of his construction processes. In regards to his intention as
an artist Puryear has stated,
… I would say I’m interested in making sculpture that tries to describe itself to
the world, work that acknowledges its maker and that offers and experience that’s
probably more tactile and sensate than strictly cerebral. (Elderfield 107)
Puryear works at a human scale in the sense that his works are not larger than the architecture
that houses them. Untitled (1978) is an example of his use of the language of function. It
consists of a single limb of yellow cedar that is bent and twisted into a six-foot diameter
circle, attached to either end are hickory handles resembling that of a wooden shovel. The
twisted branch creates a point of visual and physical tension that keeps the cedar from
springing back into a straight line. The handles act as points of entry, allow the viewer to
imagine interacting with the work, also functioning as a place for the eye to rest and return to
the circular composition. When looking at this piece I can envision the physical act of
manipulating the natural material into a manmade object through a simple gesture. Puryear
does not often employ literal functional symbols in his works but handles and wheels do
appear in several instances.
12
GORD PETERAN
Gord Peteran contradicts and abuses the language of function through his
explorations of furniture and its relationship to the human experience. He builds objects
overflowing with implied function and his works vibrate with details that beg to be interacted
with. He uses sensual material such as leather, velvet, oiled wood and polished brass to draw
the viewer in but denies them the opportunity to physically engage with the work. Study
Station (2006) has qualities that resemble a school chair, four legs, a seat, a back, and a small
writing desk, and placed atop the writing surface rests a small brass device. Although the
white leather that is carefully stitched around the chair-like structure indicates that this is not
a typical seat. The small brass device reveals a magnifying lens that allows you to look at one
human hair that is stretched between two tiny vices. Study Station is limited by context of the
gallery in which it is displayed. Patrons are prohibited using or intimately investigating the
work. From a distance it the school chair itself acts as a pedestal for the brass device, and
becomes an image of a chair only be viewed not touched or sat in. The cobbled together chair
in this piece acts as a contextual background for the brass device, providing us an enhanced
platform from which we are able to better understand the device.
Peteran’s objects purposefully blur the boundaries of furniture and sculpture, a perfect
example of this is Ark (2001). This large red oak structure has a peaked roof and stands on
four twelve-inch legs. Its polished brass doorknob suggests access, and windows on all sides
expose a red velvet button tufted seat on the interior. Perhaps the most puzzling element is an
electrical cord protruding out the front panel and piling on the floor. This object is strangely
familiar, resembling the offspring of a confessional, phone booth, and electric chair. The high
level of craftsmanship suggests this is an object of great importance, while its ambiguity
allows us to contrive stories about its purpose. When this piece is fully functioning a light
will illuminate the person seated inside, effectively transforming the user into the object on
display. Decisions like this address the boundaries between object and interactive
performance works. These works are a reminder that the experience of art is partly about the
viewer creating their own stories and interpretation of the work. Both of these pieces by
Peteran use the chair as a tool to subconsciously invite the user into the works. The void of
the empty seat allows us to place ourselves within these works to define them for ourselves
13
CHAPTER 4
PERSONAL EXPERIEBCES WITH PAIN AND
GRIEF
As a child I visited the hospital frequently, I remember it as an alternate world full of
bizarre beeping and blinking machines with tubes running in and out of people and places,
full of the sick smells and people who were supposedly healing. During my childhood my
father, mother, uncle, brother, and grandfather had all suffered physical traumas, which
resulted in a variety of casts, braces, and prosthetics to support their body during these times
of injury. My most vivid memories of the hospital are of my brother lying on his back with
his leg in traction7. There was a steel pin that pierced through his knee, on either side cables
attached to pulleys that connected to weights at the foot of his bed, counter balancing the
weight of this leg and allowing his femur to be reset. Memories of him confined inside this
elaborate contraption continue to roam the back of my mind.
Avoiding any such accidents and elaborate prosthetics as a child, my unlucky streak
came in my early twenties when I fractured three vertebrae in my back, and few years later in
a second misadventure I fractured the tibia and fibula in my right leg, and shattered the
maxilla bone in my face. This accident left me in the hospital for a week and bed ridden for
eight. During my recovery from these injuries I became captivated by the processes of repair
we enact on the human skeleton, and the human body’s ability to heal itself. I studied the
ever-changing bruises and scars on my body, and examining my body mending itself over
time was a therapeutic and thought provoking process. During this time of rehabilitation and
reflection I began to contemplate what it meant to be fixed. I felt a connection to the word
itself, in all its definitions and tenses. I came to the realization that I am in perpetual state of
being fixed, physically, emotionally, and physiologically.
7
Traction is used to manage fractures in an effort to realign broken bones; it is most often used as a temporary
measure when operative fixation is not available for a period of time (Cluett, “Traction”).
14
While recuperating, my body’s limited ability for movement and interaction with
furniture, space, and the environments of everyday life became frustrating. With plenty of
time to contemplate my newly restricted mobility I began to consider the environment,
furniture, and tools designed for the injured and geriatric, specifically the colors, and textures
associated with functional language of medical facilities in general. The artificial atmosphere
created in medical facilities focuses on “positive distractions” as key elements of the interior
design. Positive distractions are visual tools and symbols used to alter the frame of mind of
the patient. Art and sculptural objects are often used for this purpose, though abstract art is
often reserved for lobbies and communal spaces, as the process of trying to understand
abstract and ambiguous artwork can have a negative effect on the patient. Art that is deemed
recognizable and inspiring is hung in the patient rooms (McCullough). The furniture in these
environments is often of an unfortunate design that focuses on the function and durability of
the material. Materials that are easy to clean and offer longevity are often synthetic, various
plastics and vinyl materials are employed in these environments for obvious reasons, but the
comfort in certainly lacking. The colors associated with hospitals often reflect the color pallet
of a specific region, but are generally chosen for their calming qualities. Pale blues and
greens facilitate relaxing environment and are frequently seen in the medical industry. In
addition to the ambiance of the hospital I studied the formal qualities of the tools used by
patients and people with special needs such as, crutches, wheel chairs, toilet seat lifts, shower
stools, walkers, and canes all acted as fodder during my design process.
The surgical process used to repair my fractured leg was also of interest. The tools
and materials used to mend my fractured bones are familiar and not much different than tools
and processed used to fix a broken chair leg. Metals have been used as surgical implants for
decades, although the metals used in early applications experienced compatibility, corrosion,
and strength issues, but these issues dwindled as metal refinement and alloy technologies
developed (Hermawan, Ramdan, and Djuansjah). When people still have negative reactions
to metallic implants, ceramic implants can be used. The material used in my particular
situation was stainless steel, a common material used in all types of industrial and artistic
applications; titanium is also commonly used for surgical applications. In basic terms, the
15
process of fixing my fractured tibia and fibula are as follows. An incision was made below
the kneecap and an intramedullary rod 8 was inserted and used to align and support the bones.
To secure the rod to the bone one screw was inserted below the fracture near the ankle and
two screws were inserted above the fracture at the knee. The incisions were stapled shut and
time would do the rest. Understanding this seemingly simple process of surgical repair acted
as a conceptual footing for the works in Fixed, and I was taken aback when I realized the
overlap of techniques, tools, and materials used to repair the broken limbs of humans and
objects alike.
In addition to the tools and process, I questioned my emotional and response to the
healing process. The environment of the hospital room creates awkward interactions for both
the visitor and patient who in my case felt like a piece of meat on display in a remote
controlled bed. It is difficult to address the feelings of vulnerability and weakness associated
with trauma. In my experiences I recall feeling a wide range of emotions, pain, pity, fear,
anxiety, and guilt to name a few. In addition to these feelings I withdrew from social contacts
and activities. Being bed ridden and in a hazy mental state, the high volume of prescription
painkillers left me feeling disconnected from reality and unable to focus on much of anything
as time blurred together. The prescription opioids I was taking for pain often have this kind
of effect and can also be quite habit forming, in addition to causing a range of side effects
including anxiety and mental clouding. (Drugs.com) To recreate this emotional disconnect I
combined forms and objects from medical, domestic, and industrial contexts. I aimed to
evoke emotions through my works, and to address the interactions between visitor and
patient.
8
Intramedullary rods are used to align and stabilize fractures. IM rods are inserted into the bone marrow canal
in the center of the long bones of the extremities e.g. femur or tibia. (Cluett, Intramedullar Rod)
16
CHAPTER 5
THE INSTALLATION AND WORKS
Fixed was influenced by my personal experiences with physical trauma and the
healing process. The works are representations of an altered reality where the boundaries
between medical, industrial, and domestic contexts are blurred. The functional forms
employed are not limited to their predetermined roles, but merge with one another to exist
between contexts. Specifically to question how the design, material, and color of an object
affect our interaction with and understanding of it.
I installed new walls and an undersized entryway that opened into spiral shaped dead
end hallway within the Evert G Jackson Gallery in order to create an environment as free
from time and place as possible. Creating a context for the viewer to interact with familiar
forms and materials in unfamiliar ways, where my altered utilitarian objects are at the
forefront. The installation began and ended with an undersized Doorway (see Plate 1), while
a dead end hallway required the viewer to interact with each piece twice, once on the way in
and again on the way out. This forced people to maneuver in and around the fragile works
and other patrons as they passed through the tightened hallway. The altered gallery
environment created an awkward viewing experience and to further facilitate the surreal
nature of the environment I chose a pastel color pallet associated medical facilities. Each
piece in the exhibition represents a moment or feeling connected with my accident and
recovery process, when placed all together they create the abstracted narrative of my
experience.
My decision to place the door I made just inside the threshold of the gallery allowed
me to create a non-traditional gallery experience. The Doorway was made of bleached Ash
which had two screens made of cheesecloth covered in thin layers of latex that created a
semitransparent screen door. The handles of this door were bulbous and painted a pale blue
color that I used in many works throughout the show. The ambiguous shape of the handles
and the door’s ability to swing in and out created moments of uncertainty in the viewers as
they considered how or if they wanted to enter the space. The newly constructed walls that
17
Plate 1. Doorwayy (Installatio
on View)
ned the hallw
way were made of heavy plastic that w
was stretcheed over pale blue woodenn
defin
framees and emitteed a sterile chemical
c
sceent. The wallls gently breeathed as peoople opened the
door and entered the space. The
T thick plaastic allowedd minimal ligght and to paass through tthem,
and th
he works and patrons on
n the oppositte side of thee walls were seen as shaddows. A seriies of
objeccts were even
nly placed down the cen
nter of the haallway the viiewers were limited to seeeing
18
a few pieces at one time, creating smaller narratives between works within of the larger
installation.
The fragility of utilitarian objects is a quality I enjoy exploiting; I take pleasure in
destroying perfectly useful things, I believe it gives the objects an anthropomorphic quality.
An object that has been broken conveys a symbolic mortality, reminding us of our own
eventual demise. Metaphorically an umbrella acts as a preventative device only taken when
there is a chance of inclement weather, much like wearing a bicycle helmet or taking a jacket
when leaving the house. I hung Prepare for the Worst (see Plate 2) outside the main
installation of Fixed to act as a symbol of precaution. The umbrella I demolished for this
piece hung from a peg in the wall, its canopy crumpled in half and its thin metal frames
poking through its brittle skin revealing a clustered mess of bent and broken wires. The
bruised and blood like color of the cheesecloth canopy was an opportunity to imbue the piece
with vulnerability, suggestive of a once functioning object that had suffered an unfortunate
accident.
Discerning the Damage (see Plates 3, 4) was inspired by the moments after regaining
consciousness. It is a physical interpretation of the feelings of loss and confusion associated
with concussions, when the psyche is attempting to put back the pieces of itself that have just
been rattled around the skull. This piece consists of a pale blue stethoscope connected to
three viscerally textured latex tubes, which transition into large funnels with thin latex
membranes stretched over them creating a drum like vessels. The three extremities of this
piece extend in various directions throughout the gallery symbolizing their attempts to gather
information, searching for an understanding of its situation. When one wears the piece’s
stethoscope, sounds are altered into a hollow and reverberated tone; sound becomes
disconnected from the site creating an auditory a time lapse.
Self-Inspection (see Plates 3, 5, 6) is a monument to the patient/visitor relationship I
experienced. This idea took shape through a found and altered stylized version of a Victorian
era vanity. I removed one leg of the cabinet and replaced the top with glass creating a vitrine
for this lost limb. I painted the exterior, except for the void left by its missing leg, a classic
domestic and utilitarian avocado green, which contrasted and highlighted the soft pink
19
ate 2. Preparre for the Worst
W
Pla
t glass is thhe fourth legg covered inn a latex
interiior of the carrcass9. Preseented under the
memb
brane, beneaath the latex membrane the
t blackeneed charred reemnants of thhe once shappely
leg were
w displayeed for all to see.
s The leg,, reminiscennt of a scientiific specimeen, was
suspeended between two pale blue fixtures on top of a mirror.
L
(see Plate 7) refeerences deviices found inn the local phharmacy
Sanitary Leisure
desig
gned to meet the needs off the incontinent. This p iece appearss to be a succcessful
9
A Ca
arcass is defin
ned as the body
y of a furniture piece designedd for storage, aas a chest of draawers or wardrrobe,
withou
ut the drawers, doors, hardwaare, etc. (Infoplease.com)
20
mage, Self In
nspection, an
nd Sanitary Leisure (In
nstallation V
View)
Platee 3. Discerniing the Dam
comb
bination of tw
wo useful deevices, althou
ugh the conssequence of its use woulld prove to bbe
quite unpleasant. The yellow rocking chaair has a porccelain bedpaan like vesseel placed withhin
ded by a carp
pet of pale blue
b nitrile gllove fingertiips that repreesent the
the seeat, surround
preseence of the co
old blue rubber finger th
hat pokes andd prods the ppatient. Thee relaxing
assocciations of a rocking chair are contraasted by the ssuggestion oof voiding boodily waste.
Inspirred by perso
onal experien
nces of using
g similar devvices while iin the hospital and at hom
me,
this object
o
pokes fun at the trrials and tribu
ulations of tthose with m
mobility issuees. This piecce is
21
mage
Platee 4. Discerniing the Dam
succiinct and familiar to many
y people thatt have been iin a similar situation to m
mine and
beneaath the initiaal humor of this
t piece is a real statem
ment about a lack of com
mfort.
Depressed
d (see Plate 8) is a portraait of my broother in bodyy cast, and a direct resullt of
my ch
hildhood exp
periences. After
A
my brotther was rem
moved from hhis traction ccontraption, he
was put
p into a body cast. Thee cast began above his naavel and exteended downn to the knee on
one leeg and to thee ankle on th
he other. Forr those three months therre were onlyy two positioons
he co
ould rest in, on
o his stomaach or on hiss back. Watcching my broother go throough this orddeal
had a large impacct on my relaationship with injuries annd accidentss. The piece consists of a
husbaand pillow on
o its back with
w its arms wrapped in casts extendding toward tthe ceiling. IIt
lookss pitiful and sad lying on
n the floor ass though it haas given up. The once sooft, frumpy
pillow
w is now rigid with the plaster
p
bandaages. The tipps of the arm
ms, the crotchh, and its hanndle
are leeft exposed to
t further em
mphasize its figurative
f
geesture.
Many of the
t tools and
d devices dessigned for thhe mobility iimpaired aree cumbersom
me
and sometimes
s
ev
ven painful to
t use. Thesee tools limit our interacttive capabilitties and wheen I
22
pection (Dettail)
Platee 5. Self Insp
depen
nded on thesse devices it became incrreasingly obbvious that thhe world is nnot designedd with
peoplle like this in
n mind. Burd
den (see Platte 9) is a fauulty support sstructure, altthough it
employs iconic fu
unctional sym
mbols such as handles aand wheels itt fails to do llittle more thhan
hindeer and annoy
y the user. Th
his quasi-pro
osthesis com
mes from an iinterest in thhe contrast of
suppo
ort and hindrrance. The clasp
c
is coverred in a layeer of black taar and attachhes around thhe
neck of the user, while its han
ndlebars extend down ovver the chestt. The greenish yellow fr
frame
23
mage Barrow
w, & Anxiou
us Wreck (In
nstallation V
View)
Platee 6. Discerniing the Dam
and th
hree pale blu
ue wheels ro
ole behind th
he user underr the guise oof a helpful eexoskeleton, but
do litttle more thaan obstruct th
he user.
An ancho
or caries a sy
ymbolic gestu
ure of strenggth and imm
mobility and I was interessted
in sub
bverting it in
nto somethin
ng that appeaared vulneraable. Fixed (ssee Plate 10,, 11) is a carrved
wood
den anchor hanging
h
from
m a stainless steel I-V staand, its limbss are wrappeed in bandagges
and itts fractured neck
n
is held together witth a delicatee halo10 like sstructure. Thhe thin pale bblue
wood
den memberss of the halo
o create a jag
gged cage aroound the poiint of its fraccture. Withinn the
largerr body of Fixxed, this reo
occurring theeme visuallyy deconstructts the notionn of strength and
suppo
ort. Exposing the inner material
m
of th
he anchor crreates a contrradiction to suggest the
10
A Halo
H
is a devicee used to manage cervical spiine injuries to m
minimize neuroological damagge, requiring loongterm im
mmobilization
n; in the halo deevice, pins are inserted on thee outer skull foor skeletal tracttion. (The Freee
Dictio
onary)
24
nitary Leisu
ure
Plate 7. San
25
epressed, Burden, & Fix
xed (Installaation View)
Plate 8. Dep
26
Plate 9. Burdeen
27
Plate
P
10. Fix
xed & Burd
den (Installa
ation View)
28
Plate
P
11. Fix
xed (Detail)
29
vulnerability in us all. This piece is a combination of imagery and material from multiple
contexts resulting in an object with no conceivable application or role beyond a work of art.
Anxious Wreck (see Plate 6, 12, 13) is a small pale green pushcart with skinny legs
and tiny chrome wheels. Placed on top the cart is a glass-paneled tray with a pale blue frame
and deep red handles. Placed in the center of the tray is a tool encased in a white rubber skin
with thick red stitching that outlines the shape of a ballpein hammer. I created an opportunity
for the viewer to stand in a position of power and imagine using the tool on someone.
To facilitate a dialog between the two works and the viewer I placed Barrow (see
Plates 6, 12, 13) in close proximity to Anxious Wreck. Barrow is designed to address the
sensations of being moved on and off of backboards and gurneys during physically traumatic
experiences. It is a long thin black linear human-scale wheelbarrow-like structure with two
handles and legs toward the rear and one wheel extending in the front. Stretched inside the
frame is a sheet of white rubber with a small circular drain arranged in the center. Brass
hooks and grommets secure this rubber sheet to the frame. The flimsy structure was designed
to give a sense of how each bump would reverberate through the body.
Placed in the center of the gallery and surrounded by plastic walls is the Bicycle (see
Plate 14) I was riding during my accident resting upside down on its handlebars and seat. The
closer the viewer is to the plastic walls the less crisp the image of the bicycle appears, but
from a distance we can see the broken wheels and bent frame of the bicycle representing the
blurriest part of the story the beginning.
30
us Wreck, Ba
arrow, & Diiscerning the Damage (Installation
n View)
Platee 12. Anxiou
31
us Wreck (Detail)
Platee 13. Anxiou
32
ng the Damage & Bicyccle (Installaation view)
Plate 14. Discernin
33
CHAPTER 6
CONCLUSION
This thesis body of work addresses the overlapping language of medical tools and
domestic furniture exhibited in an environment to question how we understand and interact
with objects. The similarity of techniques, tools, and materials used to repair broken limbs
and objects alike acted as stimulus for these works. Exploring furniture forms as abstracted
props rather than an end product of a process allowed me to define my language of function /
dysfunction which pushes furniture beyond its supplemental role, and explores the
boundaries between functional forms, sculptures, and installation works. In Thinking
Through Craft on the topic of the supplemental nature of craft objects Glenn Adamson states
that:
Furniture’s supplementarity can be exploited as a means to remind us what we
take for granted. Like a prop on a stage, it exists to contextualize that which is
beyond itself. (Adamson 37)
My efforts to re-contextualize these forms proved to be a salubrious11 process for me,
as I delved into my own healing process and investigated my subconscious relationship with
tools. Through this reflection I came to realize that these pieces function as external vehicles
for my internal frustrations, effectively exposing myself through making, and allowing me to
address the pain caused by trauma through my lens.
11
Salubrious is defined as favorable to or promoting health or well-being. (“Salubrious”)
34
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