Virtual Open Studios Fall 2022 - ART 010E 3D Foundation
Instructor: Kathleen Perry
Ahmee Smith
“Paper Jellyfish”
Map paper, tape, string
Hanging jellyfish made of cut map paper and strings.
“Rolling Fog”
Clay on cardboard
This relief sculpture is meant to represent the view of the fog clouds rolling through the pine trees of UCSC campus.
“Art Building”
Cardboard, hot glue, tape
This sculpture is a replica of one of the buildings in the art department on campus.
“Loose”
Flagging tape, painter’s tape
This sculpture is a series of loose lines draped in between the branch and trunk of an oak tree.
Aidan Hirasuna
“Cardboard Bauhaus”
Cardboard
This is a cardboard version of the paper version we did in class. I wanted to redo the assignment with cardboard to give it more structure.
“Onion”
One-Minute Sculpture.
For my one-minute sculpture, I ate as much raw onion as I could. The video ended up being 2 minutes of suffering.
“Slug Removal”
Relief Sculpture
A reflection of UC Santa Cruz: The banana slug
“SCALES”
Photograph
Designed to bring awareness to the endangerment of the Pangolin. The “scales” on myself reflect the medicinal purpose of real-life pangolin scales that have caused their endangerment: nothing.
Ailish Smith
Plane and Space
Cardboard, tracing paper, hot glue
This model is intended to mimic a building from a one-point-perspective. I angled the sides of the sculpture and windows to convey this.
Relief Sculpture
Clay
This piece was loosely based on an image displayed on a slideshow in one of my classes of a microorganism.
Folds
Paper
I had lots of fun making this origami practice, it was very meditative.
Cotton Mouth
Cotton pads and lipstick
As part of the body extension prompt I decided I wanted to “soften” my often blunt words.
Andrea Navarro
“Bicycle Rack”
Cardboard
This project was modeled after the bicycle racks that can be seen throughout Stevenson college.
“Human Chime”
Acrylic paint on foam board, beads, jingle bells, and jewelry string.
This piece expands on the noises that human bodies can make, with every movement a beautiful and enchanting jingles can be heard.
Andrew Dresel Kurtz
Annabelle Stone
“Edge of the World” perspective 1
Recycled Maps
“Edge of the World” perspective 2
Recycled Maps
Untitled
Kite Twine and Books
“Cowell College”
Clay
Annalie Cherie Taylor
I am a second-year student majoring in Art and Psychology. I like to explore many different mediums in art, and I especially enjoy working with concepts such as light and movement. I am interested in how people interact with art and perceive it differently.
“Aquatic Building”
Cardstock paper
This is an idea for an addition to the theater buildings at UCSC. The pillar and the waves on the roof allow you to feel like you are underwater in a way.
“Stairwell Movement”
Colored plastic ribbon
This piece is created from ribbons crossed between the railings in an apartment building. The visual effect relies on the movement of the viewer in relation to the stairwell to see the geometric wave motion.
“Dance in Two Dimensions”
This body extension sculpture demonstrates movement performed wearing wooden hoops on arms and legs so that it is seen as two-dimensional.
“Flame Dance”
This ephemeral sculpture uses fire and smoke to create unique patterns on glass which are then sprayed and wiped off with water.
Annice Cecil
Annice Cecil
“Paper Man”
Maps and masking tape
“Lived in”
Cardboard, masking tape, hot glue, and white posca pen.
“Packed in smells”
Clay
“Habitat”
Cardboard and hot glue
Ares Atlas
“Oakes Trail”
Clay
Reductive Carving
Ares Atlas
“The Tunneled Bridge”
String
A String sculpture
Ares Atlas
“Art Building”
Cardboard
A 3D model of one of the buildings in the art department
Arno Wu
Sculpture - Geometric Complex Simple geometric shapes combine to create a sense of orderly beauty.
Site-Specific Line Sculpture - The Web I want my line sculpture to be viewable from multiple perspectives. By linking wires on different planes, a single wire forms a geometric figure such as a triangle or a polygon, both horizontally and vertically. In the front view these lines appear to be 2D planes, yet in the side view they are 3D.
Relief Sculpture - Harmony I chose a photograph taken at Porter College for Relief Sculpture because the combination of architecture and nature in this photograph is common and representative of UCSC. The sky above the house and the large grassy area below create a natural balance and a sense of tranquility.
Body Extension - External Contact We are born in nature and return to nature when we die. We are also an extension of the natural world. This sculpture materializes this idea. Modern people are trapped in their busy lives. They become agitated under all kinds of pressure. I also hope that people can get in touch with nature more and find their inner peace again.
Ashwin Rohatgi
‘Planar Structure’
Styrofoam board and Glue
This is a building in Porter outside of the building that I go to attend my Art10E class. This piece is supposed to highlight the horizontal and vertical symmetries of buildings in Porter.
‘Sticky Fingers’
Glue
This is a body extension that I used to help me stick on surfaces. It is a reflection of my forgetful nature and my admiration for Spiderman growing up. This is a picture of me sticking my hands onto a piece of paper.
‘Clash of Symmetries’
Box, string, paper streamer, and tape
This is a box on top of a chair with a piece of string showing the horizontal and vertical symmetry of the two. A streamer shows the diagonal symmetry of the piece. The intersection of the two at the top of the box shows the radial symmetry of the piece.
‘Resting Bird’
Clay and fine pick
This is a sculpture of a bird resting on a branch. The purpose of this image is to show something natural but not the entirety of the picture so as to make the audience fill in the blanks. It is also meant to keep the state of the bird, whether he is resting or taking off for flight, ambiguous to the audience.
Aya Westerling
“Anemone”
Clay relief
This relief is a depiction of a sea anemone as they can be found in the tide pools on Santa Cruz’s beaches, a depiction that reflects a simple but beautiful part of our environment that we are lucky to experience due to our proximity to the ocean.
“Looking through”
Line sculpture (twine and vinyl tape)
This abstract sculpture uses intersections of the lines created by the twine and its surroundings to delineate distinct areas and shapes, breaking up the space. Its relationship with the LED lights in the background creates more lines by casting shadows and causes the bounded areas covered by vinyl tape to stand out.
“‘Finger-painting’ - Body Extension Demo Short Film”
This was an assignment to build some kind of 3-D wearable extension of your body that fulfills a purpose or overcomes a limitation of the human body, potentially literally and also as a visual metaphor. Mounting the paintbrushes on the wire frames I built makes my hand the artistic instrument.
“‘COLORED BY PASSION’ - One-Minute Sculpture Short Film”
This was an assignment to create an impermanent structure that changes over time. The materials I used were all natural, and although I acted as a catalyst, the effect came from interactions between the elements of the sculpture.
Bush Le
“Melted”
Chocolate bar on ice tray
This piece was created to capture the beauty and form of melting chocolate.
“Barrier”
Strings tied to tree and base
This sculpture was designed to imitate a barrier that would protect the “village” inside the base.
Calleigh Hoang
“Wings” - Body Extension
Paper, Cardboard
“Academic Slug” - Relief Sculpture
Clay
Chance Lengyel
“Dolphins”
Clay
A base relief sculpture depicting two dolphins- one in the foreground and one in the middle ground- with the Great Wave off Kanagawa subtly hinted in the background.
“Freedom”
Plastic tape
An addition to a previous sculpture of a nude woman; shows the constraints and freedom of women throughout time to now as she is bound by these tethers representing society and its expectations/limitations.
(Not a solo piece, also made with Ximena Castaneda)
Claire Koning
“Brace”
Wire and Fabric
This piece is meant to show my relationship with my body. I have scoliosis, so my body doesn’t look normal. It resembles a hospital gown and a frame of a scoliosis brace.
“Flowers”
Clay
This piece was supposed to represent the flowers across UCSC’s campus. I thought they were underappreciated, so I represented them here.
“Connection”
Flagging Tape
This piece shows the connection between redwood trees. They often grow in circles like these and have a shared root system.
Colette Reed
“Sunbeam”
yarn, flagging tape, carousel
This sculpture creates the effect of sunbeams coming through the trees, to highlight the structure of the carousel through light. It also works as a contrast against its location, because the yarn and tape prevent the carousel from spinning (its intended purpose).
“Why don’t you stop?”
¼” chainmail rings, letter beads, pony beads
My body modification piece is intended to restrict my motion - these gloves prevent me from fidgeting, but also stop me from using a pencil, typing on a computer or phone, or doing almost any normal activity. I also included phrases that people say in reference to fidgeting on the backs of each glove. With this piece, I wanted to show the harm that stopping fidgeting would have on my day to day life through a pair of unwieldy and uncomfortable gloves.
“Artificial Shadow”
curtain, lamp, hands, crochet vest, tissue paper
These are three stills from my one minute sculpture - in it I passed different objects and textures in front of a colorful lamp, creating unusual and beautiful shadows.
“Skulls”
clay
This clay piece depicts a coyote skull, surrounded by banana slugs and flowers. It is meant to be representative of UCSC, so I chose to depict things I saw around campus within my first few weeks!
Art10E_Ella_Kenney_1.jpg
“Ultraviolet”
Safety glasses, vellum, acrylic paints, watercolor, and charcoal.
These glasses allow the wearer to see colors that humans cannot. Butterflies have four cones in their eyes while humans have three so, while wearing these glasses, you can see the ultraviolet rays and colors humans cannot even dream of.
“Fairy Tale Forest”
Clay.
I love working with clay so sculpting this piece was more enjoyable than demanding. I experimented with carving out stars in different ways and tried the same with the trees. Overall, the piece came together quickly and simply and I was able to execute it how I mostly envisioned it. I learned a lot about the technique of carving OUT clay to create depth as well. This piece would be displayed at the start of the Oakes path where the photo was taken.
“Koi Fish Mobile”
Paper, string, tape.
This paper sculpture is full of grace–the way the paper curves around itself and the gentle spinning of the origami koi give this mobile a dream-like essence.
“The Torch”
Cardboard, hot glue, acrylic paint.
This sculpture of The Torch at my home rock climbing gym is playful and quite accurate in its geometricity. The routes are based on actual holds and difficulties of the routes in the gym.
Ella Shelton
“Concealed Chaos”
vellum and construction paper
This piece is meant to represent order concealing chaos.
“Plastic Tree”
Flagging tape and a stick
This piece was meant to represent trash attempting to imitate nature. Its supposed to look out of place and bother the viewer.
“Flower”
Clay
This piece is a carving of a flower.
Emilia Buckner
“Seashore”
Air Dry Clay
This relief sculpture is meant to represent the movements and textures of waves washing up on a beach in Santa Cruz.
“I Hear You”
Wire
This body extension piece is an abstract, single line representation of a magnified pair of ears which is meant to serve the goal of becoming a better listener.
“Untitled”
Cardboard, paper, pencil, hot glue
This piece was based on the bathroom at the Media Theatre but with the elements I added it became more of a recreational building.
“Road”
Tape, rope
This piece is meant to be an abstract representation of a one point perspective road with the tree stump that the lines lead to being the vanishing point.
Erin Casey
“A Bridge for Ants”
String and sticks
The sculpture mirrors the bridge to the McHenry library, in both its shape and location.
“Redwoods”
Clay
I felt redwood trees define the UCSC campus and make it unique among all other colleges, so I chose to depict them in this relief. It isn’t anywhere that you can look outside your window to the trunks of redwoods, like you were in a treehouse.
Erin Casey
“Artist’s Swiss Army Knife”
Old biking glove, oven-bake clay, various art tools
Sometimes when I'm drawing I get a bit annoyed by constantly having to switch tools. This piece allows you to use multiple art tools at once.
Fatima Guzman
“Collector”
Cardboard, acrylic paint and multimedia
The image shows a helmet that can use trash to use as protection. When thinking of ideas for this project I came across a video about different animals that would use objects around them to use as protection like a decorator crab. Normally people use clothes to protect themselves while expressing themselves with colors/patterns. I decided on using trash since it is an object that surrounds our environment and the objects we use show what our interests are . Have it be our favorite drinks or what we eat. The helmet expresses the desire to protect myself. I find the human head to be one of the most vulnerable parts of the body since the damage it can experience could be irreversible. Since trash is abundant I used objects that could help protect my head like cans.
“Human Form”
Twine
The image is an abstract figure of a person sitting in the corner of a room.
“Slug Relief Sculpture”
Clay
The image shows what I find symbolizes UCSC which is a slug and the many bridges that are seen on campus.
Frederica Torres
“The Dreamer 3000”
This is an assignment for my art class. I was told to create something that would function as a tool for my body to do something that it cannot currently do. I painted the screen green so I could edit a video on the cardboard craft.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X7EziX1lKs
“Get your hands off me”
This is a one minute ‘sculpture’.
Gabriella Frint
Grace Hoffman
“Pulled In”
Twine
I wanted this piece to give a rabbit whole feel, like in Alice in Wonderland. The pull towards deep woods, exploring further and further, embracing getting lost.
Cardboard and Hot Glue
This piece was meant to draw attention to how all the planes communicate with another to create depth. I really focused on the roof line and how the slightly different heights of buildings create one cohesive image that your brain identifies as a solid structure.
Paper, string, tape
This piece was really about letting go of a plan. I had no plan going into the creation of this one and I really love the dynamic shape that I was able to capture. It really helped me to see how we can change 2D shapes like paper into 3D sculptures.
Clay
The feeling of the movement of clay under my hands was one of the times I have the most connected to the making of the piece rather than the final product. I built this sculpture up and flattened it down countless times, each one still as valid as the last, exploring the ways I could mold the medium into the image I saw in my mind. The eye is meant to symbolize the eye opening experience that coming to school here has been for me. I am intaking so much.
Hannah Rushing
“Crackling Butterfly”
Made from clay with raised design and made the sunken design look like it’s crackling.
“Circle of Life”
Made out of leaves from campus and represents the life cycle of plant life.
“Bridge”
Made from twine and made to represent the golden gate bridge.
“Square”
Made from origami in the shape of a square.
Inez Lynch Alfaro
“Shooting Star”
Flagging tape, twine
untitled street photographs
35mm film
These photographs were created using two pinhole cameras I created as a part of my body extension project.
“Cardboard Art Building”
Cardboard, hot glue, tape
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipbV3T5-J4c
“Stacking Rocks”
This video is meant to focus on ideas of suspense and anticipation. The editing is inspired by the film X by Ti West.
Isabella Quinn-Rodriguez
“Camera Eye”
Processed Negative Film, Tape, Cardboard, Wire, Found Small Objects
This piece was made with the old processed negative film I have. The concept is to have an Eye extension as a camera that can zoom like a camera and take photos like how you see things when you look at them.
“Natural Skin”
Plaster, Foundation Makeup, Wire, Mushrooms, Rosemary, Hot glue
This piece is supposed to be an extension of skin if our skin can grow natural plants and vegetables that could give us easy access to get food. The Mushrooms and Rosemary were picked and placed to be an example of the skin-growing natural environment to be used by humans.
“KZSC 88.1 Mix”
Clay
This piece represents a DJ mixing board, something I have been learning and is used at UCSC college radio station KZSC.
“Makeup”
This piece is a minute self-portrait that captured me putting on makeup. A way to show self-confidence when it comes to looks and presentation.
Jamie Pak
“Concrete Flower” perspective 1
Paper/exacto knife
“Lola” perspective 1
Twine, Flagging tape, string
“Portal Galaxy” perspective 2
Paper/exacto knife, vellum paper
“Free Spirit” perspective 1
Reused cloth, sewing machine, flowers/leaves, string & hot glue
Jasmine Misic
Plane and Space
Cardboard, paper plate, superglue, scissors, exacto-knife
Imitation of Cowell College dorms
Site-Specific Sculpture
Plastic rope
Portrays the inside of a film camera
Body-extension sculpture
Glasses, tiny reflective crystals, superglue, led lights
Enhances the ability to see better in the dark
2D to 3D
Map, tape
Formed from 2 dimensional objects into a 3 dimensional textured structure
Jenny Mei
Kate Beemer
“Site Specific Line Structure”
Twine, String, & Plastic string-tape on trees
This piece was made as a public, interactive piece for passersby to view, interpret, and enjoy. I wanted to create something that referenced trees being cut down, and how they are usually labeled/spray painted red to signify this. Conservation, especially here on campus, is extremely important and I always find it jarring to see bright red “x’s” on trees, here or anywhere. It feels rash, and is a visual representation of how humankind is destroying wildlife. The act of creating this sort of physical mockery of the spray paint felt relieving, and I felt rewarded after creating it and then taking it down, as to not disturb the trees after I had done my work. My sculpture plays on the lines of the landscape, and angles between the two trees. I think it sort of lines up with the mountains in the back and provides a unique juxtaposition from the staggered branches. The sculpture definitely sticks out in the chosen space, due to its color and pattern.
“Body Extension”
String on human body/ sketch-marker/pen on paper
My intention with this project was inspired by my favorite cartoon, Adventure Time. One of the main characters, Jake the dog, has the power to extend, stretch, or contort his body into any shape. I’ve watched the show since I was a little girl, and always was envious of this miraculous ability. So, when brainstorming about this project, I realized that if I could choose any way to make my life easier, and a little more fun, I would want to be just like Jake. Being in the real world- not an animated cartoon- meant this was a little more difficult to make a reality. I decided to use string as an example of how I would use this ability. Extending my fingers to be unrealistically long would make everyday tasks ten times easier. I demonstrated this abstract idea using string. I think being able to contort my body and limbs to different shapes and lengths would not only make tedious tasks simple, but it would take away some of my own conflicts with physical presence, and constantly evaluate the permanence / evolution of my physical form. I really enjoyed sketching and documenting this project, and I hope this explanation shows how it really means much more than just my fingers growing longer. It pushed me to further accept that things that may feel unattainable, are really not so far away- when you change your relationship to them.
“Relief Sculpture”
Clay
I chose to sculpt a sort of imitation of a redwood tree stump, with gnarly and windy edges, and ridged surfaces. On the top, I wanted to carve an image to pay homage to the flora and fauna that I hold dear here at UCSC. The redwood tree, the flowers, the ice plants, the jagged cliffs that frame the beach, and the wild waves. I would love my piece to be rested on an actual stump of a redwood tree somewhere in the woods. I would hope maybe someone else may come across it while exploring the trees and that they would find beauty in its randomness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QZ3FBbfT84
“One Kate Beemer Minute”
Digital Edit/ Video Documentation/Audio Edit
This video edit is a documentation of a select few moments of my life. Life feels really fast paced lately- I wanted to make a memento to capture a feeling I have been having recently/what I have been seeing the past couple weeks. The theme / focus is live +electronic music and nature + moments fleeting.
Kylie Galvan
Plane & Space
cardboard, construction paper, hot glue
2D to 3D
a giant paper map folded
Site Specific Line Sculpture
string and trees
Relief Sculpture
clay
Lauren Williams
“Corrugated” Cardboard + Hot Glue
12x7x12 (in)
Analysis: My main mission with this project was to create a structurally sound piece that accurately reflected the architecture found in College 9. I was first inspired by the corrugated metal sheets in College 9, and the way they had a very similar texture to cardboard corrugation. By stripping the cardboard, I was able to create points of interest that accurately catch light and shadow in the same way the reference buildings did. The intensely lit photographs show the contrast in the deepest and highest points of this piece.
“Pull”
(Photographed by Joshua Vegher) Twine
72x180x12 (in)
Analysis: For this piece, I wanted to create the illusion of a fallen tree being lifted up by another tree to symbolize hope, support, and community. I used thin white twine and wrapped it around a broken tree section. By tightly pulling the string, I was able to create the illusion of pulling. I also wanted to create three distinct sections to add more interest and intention into the piece. Climbing back and forth from tree to tree allowed me to get this effect. My piece reflects on the site because of its sun ray-like-structure. The string has a beautiful effect when hit with the sunlight through the trees, so it creates a harmonic relationship with the surrounding area. This adds to the meaning of community, hope, and support.
“wet sock”
(Filmed by Joshua Vegher) Performance/ Film
Analysis: I had two very opposing goals for this project. My first, was to embrace humor. The unfamiliarity I had with ephemeral art encouraged me to go out of my comfort zone and follow through with an odd, lighthearted concept: a wet sock. From there, the meaning became much deeper. I began to reflect on the discomfort that minorities must face, and the fleeting nature of its attention. Because of this, I leaned into the idea of discomfort and resilience. The water flowing out of the boots, the jarring setting, and the lighthearted music reflects the way that many people are expected to deal with daily troubles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZs7l_r7Ioc
“Marionette”
Yarn, 180x0.5 (in)
Analysis: This piece consists of blue string in the pattern of tears streaming across the face, then creating the illusion of said tears being crocheted into a chain. I wanted to contemplate the desire to have the ability to harness my emotions into art and constructive ideas. I found this to be an interesting concept as it challenges the prompt. Rather than tackling a physical inability, I wanted to represent a mental battle in a physical and highly representative form. The lighting in this piece reflects the darkness of despair, while the string, makeup, and feminine aspects of the piece represent beauty, focus and strength. The desperation, focus, and haunting simplicity make it extremely poignant. The satisfaction of its success however, cannot quell an artists desire for more. Despite being somewhat of an ephemeral and performance based piece, it reflects an everlasting concept: need for control. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sontcALW4cc
Leslie Hernandez-Nava
“Symmetrical shapes”
Paper with glue
This piece of paper is meant to represent my experimentation with cutting and gluing 2D paper into 3D.
“Slug on log”
Clay
This clay demonstrates what UCSC represents to me.
“Littering”
Myself and recycled trash
My one minute sculpture is a sculpture that has a bigger meaning behind it, how littering happens in the world. People notice it and yet don’t do much about it.
“Downwards Trail”
String, Twine, Flagging Tape
My artwork enhances the structure of the stairs. The chosen space that I chose is a staircase at Rachel Carson, not only it creates a different path that people should take but it’ll makes them ponder and look at it before walking away.
Lina Chen
“Forest Path”
Cardboard
A small cardboard sculpture based on a trial I often pass through, focused on enunciating the negative space of the path.
“Flora Faun”
Clay
A clay plaque inspired by the nature of UCSC depicting a sleeping fawn with flowers growing out of its back.
“Fingerprints”
Glue
Peeled-off glue from fingertips meant to evoke the feeling and nostalgia of childhood crafts, as well making something entirely unique to yourself.
“Drooping Vines”
Cotton rope and twine
Ropes hanging and seeming to be pulling a branch down though it actually grew naturally sideways.
Lucy Quiteno
“Courtyard”
Cardboard, hot glue, paper
In this piece, we see a miniature version of some of the buildings at the Elena Baskin Visual Arts Center. They are meant to show repetition and patterns in society.
“Waves”
Paper
This piece is a representation of the waves and the flow of life. Based on “The Object” by Richard Serra.
“Tierra somos y a la tierra volvemos”
Jute Twine
I wanted to bring up this idea of how we are connected to earth in a lot of ways, especially in the places we live in, in this case, the staircase is right in front of the tree, a weird positioning, but adding the lines of jute makes it seem as if you were getting pulled by the tree. For me, is the idea of being earth and going back to earth once we die, in Spanish is Tierra somos y a la tierra regresamos.
Anxious.mov from Lucia Quiteno on Vimeo.
“Anxious”
This was my one-minute sculpture assignment. Here I tried to show anxiety, and how it is something that we go through in a really quiet but noticeable way.
Luisa Trejo
“Blocked”
Plastic flagging tape
Sculpture
“Hooks”
Metal Magnetic Hooks and Ribbon
This is a wearable sculpture that forces the corners of the mouth to stretch creating a smile. It is designed to hold a smile to look and seems more approachable and inviting without having to constantly smile.
“Buildings”
Cardboard and hot glue.
“Swirls”
Map paper, string, and tape
Maia Washburn
“Reading Light”
String lights, glove, pipe cleaner, yarn, gingko leaves
This piece is a body extension, and is supposed to serve as a reading light, built out of string lights and a glove, helping to illuminate words of a book in the dark. The pipe cleaners wrapped yarn and leaves representing the growth that occurs when I read, with the help of this piece.
“Angled Building”
Cardboard, tape, hot glue
This piece is a rendition of the Financial Aid Building at UCSC. I wanted to make sure everything was symmetrical and even on all four sides, paying most attention on the angled pillars.
“Forest Slug”
Clay
This piece is supposed to represent the spirit of UCSC - I carved out a slug, leaves and trees, creating a relief sculpture with different levels of depth and detail.
Marceline Cyrus
“Plaque for Sammy”
Clay
A plaque I made that represents the natural beauty of the land UCSC campus was built on.
“Discarded”
Twine on lockers.
A string sculpture I created that reflected the decayed state of a site on campus.
“Idle”
My one minute performance piece using only a studio chair and twine to create the illusion of a floating chair.
Mars Edwards
“Tangle of cords and veins, all that makes you a spider’s prey”
Site-specific string sculpture
This piece was created near Oakes treehouse before it was torn down. I wanted to bring another art piece back to this forest area. It is essential that as students we preserve and add to the strangeness and creativity on campus.
Relief sculpture reflective of UCSC
Clay
It is a tribute to the popular fiat slug design by Mark Ratner, with calligraphy on the original design by Bankei Eitaku which reads: “You must see with the whole body that cannot be perceived by the eye”
This my one-minute work; a short film entitled Eternal party. It is about the horrific desire for love; craving another person to be your counterpart. The couple spirals and is entranced by each other to the point that they become cannibals.
Content warning: Pomegranate looks similar to blood
Matthew Streib
“Birthday Cake”
Made from paper
This is supposed to be a birthday cake.
“Mc henry”
Made from cardboard
This is a model of the McHenry library in UCSC
“Locked In”
Made from flagging tape
This is supposed to represent me being locked in my room doing coding homework
“Deer”
Made from clay
This models a deer in the UCSC forests.
Melody Garcia
“Little House”
Cardboard and Paper
A house inspired by Cowell’s architecture.
“Window”
Twine
A window into nature.
“Hibiscus”
Clay
I chose to create hibiscus flowers out of clay as a way to challenge myself. It could be a little neater but overall it came out nice.
“Flowers Bloom”
Wire, Glass Bottle, Flower, and Tape
I created this piece with my mom in mind. My concept is about growing life. The wire represents her support, and the marigold flower represents my sisters and me. This extension would expand my capabilities by allowing me to grow plant life with the palm of my hand.
Michael Hernandez
‘Bird’s Eye View’
Medium: Recycled Paper (Notebook paper and Recycled UCSC Geographic Surveys), Exacto Knife, twine, tape and various fastening materials.
Description: After reading Richard Serra's "The Object,” I wanted to see what 3 dimensional forms or structures could emerge out of a 2D flat piece of paper. My initial response was to crush the paper and I noticed how the 2D instantly demonstrated the 3D property of volume. Later, I used the “Bauhaus: Building the New Artist” Honeycomb Exercise and Spiral Exercise as inspiration to complete the parabolas and other 3D geometric structures. The key words that I’ve adopted include: ‘sleek, linear, geometric, aero, movement, construction, structure, utility, flight, containment’.
‘Chumash Relief Sculpture’
Medium: Clay, carving tools and sketching materials
Description: As inspiration, I chose Native American Cave Art and Animal Talismans to honor the Chumash people, whose homeland was once incorporated the UCSC campus for my inspiration for this Relief Sculpture. At first, I was having difficulties carving the clay and achieving the similar depth for symmetrical lines. However, I learned to use my fingers to work the medium and not just limit myself to the use of carving tools.
‘Pioggerellina Fiore di Natura’ or ‘Drizzling Flower of Nature’
Materials: Redwood Forest Fauna, iPhone 8, Instagram app
For this one minute sculpture, I decided to take a video of these termites/ants post- flight after an afternoon drizzle. Once I began recording they were no longer taking flight, however, I noticed the flower silhouette they were making while hurdling together back inside their den. I selected this subject matter because insectoid life forms are complex and are often perceived as hideous or monstrous. Nonetheless, this video briefly demonstrates the beauty and mastery of nature as an ancient yet perfect architect, Mother Nature. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkronYFJCjd/?igs
‘Equanimous Exposure’
Materials: Recycled crochet cape, Redwood branches covered with green moss (various sizes and weight), twine string, hot-glue gun.
Description: This body extension/ tool sculpture mimics the safety and protection offered by the perfect designer: Mother Nature, hence, this sculpture is rather subtly political because it exposes the frailty of the human experience when compared to the eternal biologically immortal beings found throughout nature. This juxtaposition offers the viewer understanding and also fosters forgiveness for we are all human and subjected to the same failure to understand or try to comprehend the diversity and complexity of a perfect design. The overall sculpture resembles ‘moss wings’ which makes the viewer aware that it is possible to re-awaken the human connection with the natural world and continue to learn from such a perfect and loving mother how to shelter our frail human body and thrive via symbiosis and self-sustainability. https://www.instagram.com/reel/ClffnFmAhb0/?igsh
Monisah Mehtab
“Shore”
Clay
“Cascade”
Cardboard, Acetate, Hot Glue
“Swirls”
Nail Polish on Water
Nathan Le
“Steps”
Cardboard Sculpture
This sculpture is meant to play with the 3D space around stairs.
“Pentagons Interwoven”
Line Sculpture
This sculpture shows repetition of the use of pentagons as pentagons can be made within pentagons.
“Sea Lion of UCSC”
Clay Relief Sculpture
This relief sculpture showcases the old mascot of UCSC, which was a sea lion.
Nick Conte
Gutter
Cardboard, glue, tape
This cardboard sculpture is a life-size recreation of a rain gutter in the visual art studios. It’s meant to draw interest through the ways light does and does not travel through it.
Rebirthing Portal
Tape
This public installation is an interactive piece which forces the viewer to decide if they want to go through or around the portal.
Andy
Clay
This clay sculpture of Andy Samberg was made in his honor as a tribute to the slug alumni.
Claws
Wooden chopsticks, tape, grapes
This body extension sculpture reimagines the abilities of human feet. Inspired by the ability many primates possess: to one’s hands and feet somewhat interchangeably. The chopsticks serve as an extension of my toes, accentuating their movement and expanding their practical use (allowing me to use my toes to eat grapes).
Olivia Theaker
“A UCSC Mystery”
Clay
This is a sculpture of some adaptations of a little character that I have seen painted on various surfaces throughout the school when walking to class. I see this character every day and at this point they seem like a comfortable friend of mine and I like to give them a smile each time I’m in the woods. I often wonder who created the original artworks.
“Intergalactic Music Machine”
Metal, Plastic, Rubber, Found Objects
I remember being mesmerized by hearing the way my voice sounded as it traveled through a metal “talking tube” at my elementary school playground and how it made me think I could talk to aliens. I figured the body extension/tool project would be a great way to give myself the ability to pitch correct my voice in weird ways and get back to my child-like roots of wanting to find a way to communicate with aliens. This sculpture expands my abilities by changing the nature of my voice and the way it’s perceived by others as well as providing me with objects to create sounds I wouldn’t normally be able to produce without this tool.
I hope this piece ignites a childlike sense of wonder and proves that exploration, fun, and random, silly play doesn’t have to go away once you become an adult. I think the funky visual aesthetic of my piece plays on this idea that things don’t always have to be put together all the time, and sometimes it’s okay to experiment and bang on kooky objects with no specific intent. Today, as I’ve become more methodical, I’ve struggled with letting go and embracing spontaneous, chaotic art, so I want to give people an outlet to connect with this side of themselves again.
“Twine Seat”
The Twine Seat explores direction by inviting people to interact with it and to find a position to sit/lay to admire the ocean. It’s an opportunity to find some peace among the chaos of life, and some solace in the rhythmic motion of each peach of twine that wraps around each pier post.
“A Minute Long Thought Process”
This project stemmed from an assignment to create an artwork that lasted 50 seconds to 1 minute. I struggled with finding an idea, but I noticed how much my foot had been tapping throughout the day during my many hours of contemplation, and I decided to go with it. In the nature of many of the ephemeral artworks I viewed throughout that week of instruction and reading, I hastily threw some film together, trying to be a little less analytical than usual.
Reece Mejia
“Whimsical Rainbow”
Yarn with tacks and tape
This piece was designed to mimic a rainbow you would see in the sky however it flows with the breeze creating a relaxing effect.
“Wanderer”
Clay
This is a relief sculpture created through the use of carving with special tools to create a scene that depicts a comforting scene that reminds me of campus.
“Entanglement of Emotions”
Yarn and cotton cloth sewn together.
This piece was created to create a visual representation of the ability I wish I had to share my emotions and physical feelings with someone by a simple touch, when words aren’t enough to express myself.
Ren Murphy
Rowena Mielock
“Hemorrhoids”
Twine, Tape, and Furniture
This abstract piece was supposed to represent the inability to sit down when having hemorrhoids.
“Struggling to Breathe”
Fabric, Glue, Tape, Paper
This wearable piece of art represents the suffocation of women through corsets and cigarettes.
“You cant break something that is already damaged”
Cat, Bowl, Broken Microwave
This 1 minute sculpture comments on how you cant damage people emotionally if they are already hurt.
Rowena Mielock
“Noses of Santa Cruz”
Clay
This relief sculpture represents the many identities within the student body of UCSC.
Ryan Younger
“Acorn Branches”
Clay
This project was an exercise to create a relief sculpture that we would place around campus. I wanted to recreate a eucalyptus plant in the Arboretum that had these interesting acorn-like nubs.
“The Art Building”
Cardboard and Paper
Our assignment was to think about place and space with a building on campus and how it interacts with its surroundings. I chose one of the art buildings to base my structure on because of its linear and sharp angles against the fluid sky. I wanted to keep it open yet still sharp which is why I added the origami triangles on the roof to coincide with the triangle feature on top.
“Hammock”
Red and Blue String
To incorporate the student life and the environment in my piece, I wanted to use line and movement to create a hammock-like sculpture between the trees. The strings attached to the floor represent the trees roots attaching itself to the hammock and being apart of the structure that holds it together.
“Walk-By Headphones”
Wire, Cardboard, String
I made these headphones as a way to connect myself to other students as I walk by them and somehow tune into what they’re listening to. The threads on the wires represent sound waves flowing from one headphone to my own and act as a sort of gateway to the other person’s thoughts and music. The wire band connects the two earpieces as the waves move across to each side.
Sal Nguyen
“Abstract Circus Line Sculpture”
String, wire, and clown puppet
This is a close-up of my site-specific line sculpture set up in a children’s playground, meant to represent the shape of a circus tent. The string sculpture works into the play structure and around the clown, embodying the theme of a circus.
“Abstract Circus Line Sculpture”
String, wire, and clown puppet
This is a full view shot of my circus themed site-specific line sculpture set up in a children’s playground. The string ties directly into the climbing structure and connects the theme of playfulness between the abstract circus and the playground.
“SC Slug Relief”
Clay
This is an overhead shot of my relief sculpture. It is meant to represent UCSC with the two clay banana slugs in the shape of the letters “SC” for Santa Cruz. I imagine it to be installed on a wall on campus so the lettering would be easily seen.
“SC Slug Relief”
Clay
This is an up close shot of my relief sculpture, showing the details of my banana slugs. Aside from being representative of the “SC” acronym, up close they can be recognized as the mascot creature of UCSC.
Samantha Fonseca-Vallejo
“Mr sour puss”
This video was made as a response to the assignment “Studio Project #2”. It is made from a lemon and clay, shot entirely on iPhone XR.
Sarah Ball
“Book of Life”
Maps & Wire
This piece represents not only the experiences we gain from reading, but the things we can witness when we travel and explore our world.
“Book of Life”
Maps & Wire
This piece represents not only the experiences we gain from reading, but the things we can witness when we travel and explore our world.
“Monarch”
Clay
This relief sculpture was made with the intent of it resembling a scaled down version of a piece I imagine standing in the Natural Bridges Monarch Trail/ Reserve, located in Santa Cruz, CA.
“Monarch”
Clay
This relief sculpture was made with the intent of it resembling a scaled down version of a piece I imagine standing in the Natural Bridges Monarch Trail/ Reserve, located in Santa Cruz, CA.
Sean Tierney
“Dim Brickford”
Cardboard, Tape, Flashlight, Hot Glue
This sculpture represents a brick house at night with a front door, windows, and garage. There is also a street lamp illuminating the scene.
“Two Thirds Up”
Twine, Tape
This sculpture is a line sculpture that has lines emanating from a point two thirds up the image, then lines going across the image equally spaced and parallel to one another clashing with the lines coming from the two thirds point.
“U-C-Superspective-Campus”
Clay
This sculpture represents the UCSC campus from an unreal perspective. There are stairs leading to a bridge over a creek, and over the bridge are the mountains of upper campus with fields to either side and a trail going up the mountain.
Shirley Huang
“Internal Lantern”
Headband and booklight
“Internal Lantern”
Headband and booklight
“Relaxing Web”
Ribbon
“Henry”
Paper
Sierra Dela Cruz
“Happy Halloween”
Candy Wrappers
This sculpture is meant to represent the temporary celebration of the Halloween holiday and candy that is eaten in a short amount of time.
“Hair Day”
String Lights within Hair
This piece is meant to visually represent the idea of hair having nerves to feel.
“Snickers Factory”
Cardboard
This 3D sculpture represents a story between candy companies in an apocalyptic setting.
Sofia Quant
“Koi Fish Tile”
Clay
“Koi Fish Tile”
Clay
“Box Office”
Cardboard and hot glue
“Warm Wings”
Cardboard, fabric scraps, and hot glue
Sydney Abrahamson
“Butterflies”
Paper
Thomas Castillo
"Spiral Exercise "
Paper Cut Out
Spiral Exercise was meant to show off different dimensions.
"One Minute Project "
StarWars
This One Minute project invokes the feeling of strength and fearlessness.
"Aztec/Mayan Bird"
Clay Sculpture on Cardboard
This clay piece is meant to represent the idea of Mexican Aztec/Mayan culture and my cultural background.
"Site-Specific Line Sculpture"
String
Patio setting.
The lines sculpture adds rhythm to the buildings in the background along with the trees and sky.
Trevor Chee
“Excursion With My Mom”
Cardboard, hot glue
This sculpture is a miniature model of a Japanese structure from the Japanese Tea Garden I went to in San Francisco. This is to remind me of the precious time I got to spend with my Mom as it will be treated as a place that holds that memory.
“Spilt Paint”
Clay
This sculpture is a spilt paint bucket that’s supposed to represent the many mistakes we’ve made and will make throughout our life. It’s to remind us that as individuals, it is okay to make mistakes and that we should acknowledge and learn from them.
“Take A Step Back and Relax”
String, tape
My line sculpture is supposed to be reminiscent of a net of some kind. My sculpture relates to the chosen space as it is supposed to be a reminder of letting students know to take a step back if they are overworking themselves in school and try not to get ‘caught up’ in it. Many students feel trapped as if they are in a net and are struggling to break free. In contrast, my sculpture or net, if you will, is unrestrained — something that you can relax in.
“It’s You? … Again?
Rebar wire, electrical tape, needle and thread, velcro, back-brace
I wanted this project to be based on the concept of one's own consciousness. I wanted to represent that through someone's shadow as it grabs your shoulders and leers over you. As someone who is self-conscious, it feels like there is a split personality of mine trying to influence my thoughts and the way I feel. I’ve tried to ignore that part of myself when it feels like it’s influencing me at the wrong times.
Xiang Deng
“Site-Specific Line Sculpture”
Winding of lines
This work shows the connection between lines and architecture.
“Relief Sculpture”
Clay
This work shows UCSC's "banana Slug" and the ecological environment that might accompany it.
“Plane and Space”
Cardboard gluing, paper cutting
This work shows the connection between the Washington Monument and the ground.
Sofia Wagner
