Course: 3D Design
Materials: wire armature, aluminum foil, Super Sculpey, Super Sculpey Firm, artificial flower, polyurethane, Billy Mays Mighty Putty, plaster, super glue, wood base
TL;DR: Medieval fantasy setting. She is a nature spirit who changes with the seasons. The story goes there was a war between humans, and a fallen soldier died in her forest. When she reached for the bloody sword, its presence peeled away the bark on her hand and rotted her flesh. (The sword also decayed the surrounding grass.) The symbol is that human modernism is hurting nature. I’m not a concerned environmentalist or anything, I just thought of the story. This is unpainted, but she is supposed to have leaves on her branches and be very green with her skeletal hand yellowed and desaturated, and the sword would bleed down the rocks. Lots of symbolism in the composition, from the eye direction of her hand toward the sword, her hunched pose, fist close to her heart, silhouette, etc. Was a nightmare to sculpt and equally difficult to bring back home. Too much negative space. DX
The Story
The sculpture and environment displayed portray one of the essential moments in the story. It is a time when the birth of humankind was not too long ago and the humans settled into an orderly way of life labeled in history as the Middle Ages or the Medieval Era. One of the fascinations of the species is their ability to discover and create things never before experienced, from language to elements to inventions and more. Though with the coming of great things also carries along tragic consequences. Many wars have emerged onto the lands, and the death, destruction, and blood left in their wake have stained and tainted the Earth. The forests are withering, the Nature spirit despairing. The moment in time of the sculpture and environment reveal her in her weakest state. She struggles to survive among the pain and torment and then finally resolves to do something about it. This is the first time—whether in history or not, we do not know—she reveals her utmost rage and power, disrupting her usual caring and peaceful nature.
But perhaps this situation can be seen in a different perspective? Can we open our minds to see beyond the surface of a supposed story? Should we consider different possibilities and views? Perhaps this unusual act of the Nature spirit may not only be out of rage and power but also out of fear? Could a divine entity be afraid of its own death, the end of its own existence? The forests and terrain have been on the Earth since the very birth of the world itself—what happens if or when it disappears? Is it initially negatively consequential as we expect? Indeed, it will likely bring about the end of all that thrive on it, but is it the end of all existence?
The Sculpture and Environment
There are many visual clues that will lead the observant viewer to an idea close to the story. The Nature spirit has the silhouette of a tree; the roots and flower she is emerging out of also help identify a fantasy theme. She has a young face in this picture, symbolizing the never-aging forests. She is hunched over, shoulders up, arms and legs close to the body, like the curled up fetal position: weakness, fear, vulnerability. Her facial expression already shows sadness, but her left hand that is balled into a fist and clenching her heart further expresses her utter anguish. Her eyes and right arm lead the viewer’s eye to the focal point of the sculpture: her hand reaching for the sword. Her entire body has vibrant colors of green, yellow, and brown; but from the fingertips almost to the elbow of the left hand is a less saturated, yellowed, decayed color; bark is peeling away from the source of the cause, her hand left bony and skeletal; even the positioning of her dainty fingers shows fear and reluctant intent, with the pointer finger, thumb, all the fingers except the middle pulled back (this is especially noticeable in the profile view where the middle finger alienated from the other fingers can be seen best). She hasn’t even touched the sword yet she is already decaying from its presence. The sword is found lodged into a pile of rocks, indicating the disappeared existence of the owner who is likely long deceased. The blade is bleeding down the rocks. The general radius of the grass on the ground around the pile of rocks is also yellowed and decayed. The environment is a lush and green forest glen, an opening in the forest, thus making room for god rays to peek through and further lead the viewer’s eye to the hand reaching for the sword. All of these visual clues would lead the viewer to the idea that the sword is defiling everything.
