Michelle Behling, Student Work, Response to Reading, Spell of the Sensuous

"The word wen signifies a conglomeration of marks... It applies to the veins in stones and wood, to constellations... and even... to the designs that decorate the turtle's shell ("The turtle is wise," an ancient text says... "for it carries designs on its back')" (96).

David Abram. Spell of the Sensuous (1996).

I am interested in the part about the turtle and it's design. I chose to look at my roommate's dog. He has an interesting pattern of stripes in his fur, his design or wen. Under the cover of darkness, I took the dog for a walk. In the places he marked his territory, I visually marked the spot by replicating the pattern in his fur. I wanted the spot to be visually marked by his designs, as well as his scent, to record the moment of his presence at the site.

Marlena Lomanco, Student Work

I chose to make my installation for the nightstand drawer that was next to the bed. I chose this spot because it was small, and had to be opened. The notion of being able to conceal my installation was what I was drawn to. My piece itself was made based on my fascination with what people take with them while traveling. Staying in a hotel is a temporary thing, sometimes it lasts a very short time, other times it can last longer. It is interesting to think about what items certain people travel with, and how others might not choose to bring that particular item along. There is a certain level of preciousness given to belongings, and that is what I wanted to show with my piece. I also wanted to explore compulsive tendencies; I wanted the “guest” of the room to have a collection of precious items that he/she had to bring with them. 

The pieces I made are variations of the same, varying in size and shape slightly. I melted wax over small, thin, wooden sticks and then wrapped them with thread. They are intimate and unrecognizable, somewhat resembling a figure. I wanted to make something that could be interpreted differently, but still seemed important. The placement was intended to emphasize the compulsive nature of our “guest.”

Maja Hydbom, Student Work

Untitled (Reawakened)

Canvas, Plastic gloves, Dirt

In Philosophy on the Way to Ecology, Part I by David Abram, the idea of solipsism is questioned as a part of how we perceive things. The chapter suggests that information is completely self-made from a personal point of view. Abram writes “…theoretical and scientific practice grows out of and remains supported by the forgotten ground of our directly felt and lived experience, and has value and meaning only in reference to this primordial and open realm”.  When we look upon the world, we see it as we know it. As we look upon the mess humans created, shouldn’t it be in our nature to try and transform it to what we ultimately want to see?

Pernilla Stellgren, Student Work

"Yet a thorough description of homogeneous "space" and sequential "time," as objectively existing entities, had to wait until the invention of the printing press. For it was the dissemination of printed texts (texts that until then had been meticulously copied by hand and preserved, like treasures, in monastic libraries and universities) into the wider community of persons, and the subsequent rise o vernacular literatures, that effectively sealed the ascendancy of alphabetic modes of thought over the oral, participatory experience of nature" (David Abram, the spell of the sensuous).

This chapter inspired me to create the preservation of the oral language but with the modern aspect of it. We are a society obsessed with preserving, whether it is food that has been modified to last longer than normal or even our own youth. The glass device has the scientific suggestion of preservation and the blue represents earth and the color of the oceans viewed form space. The liquid will eventually evaporate and the text dipped in the liquid will also eventually fade away; All to contrast the inevitable part of life’s cycle of change and development.

Josh Slinski, Student Work

Altar at St. Augustine Beach

2014

Site Specific Installation

Rachael Horne, Student Work

21

Mixed media and found objects

Varied dimensions.  Installed at approx. 4' x 4'

2013

Alex Chitty, Artist, b. 1979, Miami, USA

Slow Death of a Namesake (Unit 2, Part I)

2014

45" h x 53 3/4" w x 10 3/4"d

powder coated steel, 2-way mirror, birch plywood, steel, brass, stone, ceramic cup, laminate, Lucite, laser print, aluminized print, walnut, etched glass, leather, Styrofoam cups with ink drawing

alexchitty.com