"Toy"
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Inspiration & Research
This piece is directly inspired by Meret Oppenheim's "Object" and other similar works. "Object" is a real teacup covered in fur from a Chinese Gazelle. It is a piece that creates an immediate physical response in the stomach, and thinking about the possibility of actually drinking out of it makes it even worse. "Pelzhandschuhe" is another piece that creates a similar feeling of discomfort for many, although less so because it has no direct connection to eating or drinking. However, the gloves in the piece are on mannequin hands that aren't attached to anything else, implying that they are severed, which is also a very uncomfortable idea. Both of these pieces have aspects to them that can make you sick to your stomach briefly, which is the kind of thing I was going for.
Planning
These planning sketches lightly detail the steps that would go into creating my piece. While sketching this out, I considered different ideas for how the tag of the Furby could be incorporated into the piece. I was first tossing around having the tag just attached to some spot on the cup, like the handle, just to remind the viewer of the fact that it is made out of what it is. Then I also considered attaching it to a dish that goes with it to convey something similar, until I entirely dropped the dish to begin with. The idea I went with is using the tag as a tag for a teabag, and attaching it to an actual teabag to keep in the cup. The fact that the specific Furby I used was a "baby" is made evident by the tag, making the idea of it even more gruesome. It implies that a young animal has been killed in order to create something so inherently unnecessary, and also connects it back to feelings caused by the toys themselves, which are considered scary or unnerving.
Process
The first step to putting this piece together was removing the fur from the Furby. I carefully cut around the bottom and removed it from the whole body. Next, I needed the specific chunks of fur/skin to be separated to fit it around the teacup. The pieces were separated with some small sewing scissors and brute force along the seams.
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Here we have the three main pieces that I used and wrapped around the cup. The piece on the farthest left was used for the inside, and the part with the hole was perfect for wrapping around the handle. Next, I used the other two pieces to cover up the outside of the cup, down to the bottom, but stopping before covering up the lip on the bottom that allows the cup to stand up stay standing.
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The chunks of fur reached much farther than the bottom of the cup, so I cut off the parts that were extra from the bottom of both sections of fur. I used the left over bits for smaller pieces needed to cover up spots inside the cup that weren't solidly covered up. I also used these pieces to cover the handle of the cup. All of these pieces were carefully glued on with hot glue, and any strings of glue were removed.
The last step before putting together the teabag for the piece was trimming some of the fur. The length was a little different on the different parts, so I cut some of it down to make it more even.
Last was making the teabag. I took the teabag, removed the tag, and tied the string through the hole on the tag from the Furby. I shortened the string quite a bit to deal with the fact that the cup was small and the new tag was much larger than the old one. |
Experimentation
There was two main parts to my experimentation for this piece. One was what base item to use for the piece. I had three options for tea cups to use. My main focus was on finding the correct shape of it, to make it obvious that that's what it is, and a decent size that conveys that it is a toy, but not super tiny. The first one I came across was a good size, however the shape of the cup left a lot to be desired. The cup wasn't even remotely ornamental looking, and the handle reminded me of the handle of a wagon. Not ideal.
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Reflection
I'm somewhat satisfied with this piece. It gets across the idea that I was going for, and is effective as a pastiche. However, I feel like I wasn't terribly prepared for what I would be doing. If I redid this piece, I'd get a little more technical. I would've created a pattern for the cup and tried to cut out a specific shape that works for the cup. I feel like the result came out a bit messy, having an overlapping section of fur. I also would've tried to get ahold of more Furby fur than what I had, to either create more of a Frankenstein look or to have been able to cover a dish and spoon to go with the piece and push the idea that the cup was more specifically a teacup rather than a mug or something. I also feel like a different color, like blue or white or something would've worked out better, but the pink it has now is alright. The piece does what it needs to.
My piece's main inspiration was Oppenheim's Object. My piece is a toy teacup covered in fur from a toy, which is similar to hers in the fact that hers is a real teacup covered with real fur from a Chinese Gazelle. Both of our pieces have a goal of creating an unpleasant feeling, and a guttural one at that. Seeing either for the first time can make viewers very uncomfortable, and then thinking about the prospect of drinking or playing with either cup is also very unappealing. Both pieces do not have an ultimate goal of being aesthetically pleasing, or even pretty, just a goal to create something that looks like it is supposed to be that way, but not in a good way.
My piece's main inspiration was Oppenheim's Object. My piece is a toy teacup covered in fur from a toy, which is similar to hers in the fact that hers is a real teacup covered with real fur from a Chinese Gazelle. Both of our pieces have a goal of creating an unpleasant feeling, and a guttural one at that. Seeing either for the first time can make viewers very uncomfortable, and then thinking about the prospect of drinking or playing with either cup is also very unappealing. Both pieces do not have an ultimate goal of being aesthetically pleasing, or even pretty, just a goal to create something that looks like it is supposed to be that way, but not in a good way.
ACT Responses
1. Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect on upon your artwork.
My piece is a direct pastiche of her piece, taking her piece and giving it a juvenile twist.
2. What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Oppenheim's piece is creepy and visceral, but still interesting and it elicited many reactions from different people.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc while you researched your inspiration?
I've found that many people felt the same way I did about her piece, that it is uncomfortable and kind of gross.
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
What did people think of her piece?
5. What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
That there are many people who are disgusted by the work, but still mesmerized, and it is a staple of surrealism.
My piece is a direct pastiche of her piece, taking her piece and giving it a juvenile twist.
2. What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Oppenheim's piece is creepy and visceral, but still interesting and it elicited many reactions from different people.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc while you researched your inspiration?
I've found that many people felt the same way I did about her piece, that it is uncomfortable and kind of gross.
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
What did people think of her piece?
5. What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
That there are many people who are disgusted by the work, but still mesmerized, and it is a staple of surrealism.
Sources
Martyris, N. (2016, February 09). 'Luncheon In Fur': The Surrealist Teacup That Stirred The Art World. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/02/09/466061492/luncheon-in-fur-the-surrealist-tea-cup-that-stirred-the-art-world
Velimirović , A. (n.d.). Meret Oppenheim. Retrieved from http://www.widewalls.ch/artist/meret-oppenheim/
Velimirović , A. (n.d.). Meret Oppenheim. Retrieved from http://www.widewalls.ch/artist/meret-oppenheim/