For this unit, we had to pick a piece from the North Carolina Museum of Art and create our own art using that as inspiration. Each year, the museum selects art for this to be displayed. Our group decided that instead of making a painting or drawing, we wanted to make something bigger and more hands on. We searched around the museums pieces and were really intrigued by the work of Patrick Dougherty. More specifically, we liked this piece:
The thing about this piece that was so intriguing to me was that it is created of all branches and materials that Dougherty and helpers went out and found themselves. I think the fact that the materials are all natural and arranged in such a beautiful way changes how you see it.
Because of Dougherty's work, my group and i decided to make a similar piece following that same concept of all natural materials and taking what you have to make art. Our ideas was fairly simple, yet took a lot of hands on work. We chose that our art would be collecting sticks, branches, bark, etc. and pull them all together to make a bridge that crosses a gap over a creek.
Because of Dougherty's work, my group and i decided to make a similar piece following that same concept of all natural materials and taking what you have to make art. Our ideas was fairly simple, yet took a lot of hands on work. We chose that our art would be collecting sticks, branches, bark, etc. and pull them all together to make a bridge that crosses a gap over a creek.
These are a few pictures of what the beginning bridge looked like. It started out as us looking around the area for thick sticks and branches that were long enough to cross the gap. After we laid those out, it became a matter of piling layers of sticks on top so it was sturdy enough to cross. Even towards the beginning of laying down the sticks, it was sturdy \enough to support one person's weight and we decided to just keep adding more and more layers because it added a more finished look.
In this picture, you have a better view of where our bridge is crossing over. We continued to find long thicker sticks that could reach the other side and kept putting them on top of existing ones. After that, we even put smaller sticks and branches to fill in gaps between bigger ones. Also, I think the size difference of the sticks create a little bit of contrast and add to the bridge's uniqueness. When you look at it more up close, you can see how the long, thick sticks are the main base of the bridge, but how even the smallest sticks help play a part in pulling the whole thing together. In this picture, we are almost finished with our bridge and are adding final touches. Unlike the pictures above, you can see how the bridge looks fuller and more sturdy because of the added layers and lack of empty holes. In this picture we are wrapping twine around the whole thing. We decided to do this because that way the whole bridge stays together and sticks don't fall down little by little. Unlike tape or hot glue, twine is a unique material and it blended in well with the bridge and sticks to match the theme of all natural materials.
Here is two pictures of the completed project, one from an aerial view, and one from the side. From the side picture especially, you can see how much depth our bridge has. There are so many layers of sticks that even if the top layer were to break, there would still be plenty more to fall back on. We were very proud of our final product because every step of it was hands on and we did ourselves. We found the sticks, and had to physically pull each of the big ones to the other side. We also had to add layers upon layers of sticks while keeping the weight balanced and at the end had to wrap the whole thing in twine.
I can definitely say that this was my favorite project and I had a lot of fun doing it. Even though it was a lot of work and it was freezing outside, I had fun trying a new form of art with my friends. Our bridge is still alive and well down on the freshmen trail and is stable enough to support all six of us standing on it!