Sofia Hulten: Adapting Urban Environments.

Sofia Hulten is interested in the possibilities of expanding objects. Instead of producing or including them, she is interested in changing the state of existence of her ready-made material. Her work is not about reaching the final destination - object of art - through the shortest route, but to circle around the in the labyrinth of possibilities which, to her, is a process of unpredictability. In much of her sculptural work applies performance and interaction, wherein objects often become material and vice versa. I am interested in what draws Hulten to the kinds of objects she chooses - urban related objects that evoke the same bleakness that I aim for through my own selection of materials and objects. Much of her work involves metal, like the bike frames or distorted garden fences you see below. And, more importantly, she also works with pedestrian barriers! Hulten's work is visually the best comparison I can draw to my own work. I really like how playful she is with the objects she finds, especially the gate that has been crated into a box shape- this ultimately is making me think more about my fence and what I could do with it structurally or at least by involving other material. I want to preserve the shape it is already in - perhaps I could consider making other smaller pieces that are distorted parts of fences to go around the larger work?

FENCE KIDNAP / MATERIALS

Update: HERE'S THE FENCE: we won't ask how I obtained it but here it is. Very surprisingly, this is it's original condition. None of the bends or twists were made by me - this is how I found it, completely mangled. A lot of the barrier sections where I found this piece were also mangled, which may have been something to do with the bend in the road - great for me because it's even more distorting and abstract

Applying Material

After careful consideration of what I was going to do with the railing, I have began to apply material. I want these bulging, organic, swelling forms to encapsulate the areas which are already bent, appearing as if they are pulling it or some uncontrollable force has created this mass and these forms have stuck to the poles. Unlike in my last sculpture, where I had a chair for the expanding foam to form over, in this case I only had small metal poles to work with. Therefore, I needed a larger surface area for large amounts of foam to actually stick to, otherwise I would have a heap of foam on the floor that would be no use. I decided to go with chicken wire and mod rock as a lightweight, mouldable armature for the expanding foam. This was a painful process, and I got a lot of cuts, but it has worked very well. NOTE: the far LEFT form isn't finished, I plan to make it extend below itself as I know the piece will be elevated somehow (next task). As I need the foam to form in the direction of of the mod rock, after careful deliberation I have been kindly built a wooden hanger frame - this will enable me to suspend and move around the fence frame, using gravity to form each section. I have no doubt that the expanding foam will take hold and produce surprising elements that I had not expected. My thought process is that after I apply the foam, I aim to implement tarmac and resin again and perhaps acrylic spikes in areas, coloured in similar dark, shifting colours.

CLAMPS

Inspired by Nairy Baghramians work for the Marian Goodman Gallery (featured in one of my previous posts), I really like the idea of a giant clamp holding together sculptures and/or materials. A clamp as a readymade feature of the work is suggestive of different uncontrollable pieces being forced to stay together. Much like the objects representing the mind of an individual that may be in a bad state from recreational drugs, depression or other trauma - and the clamp being those around them like family, friends, councillors, therapists who try to keep it together for said individual. Perhaps something I could include?