Lighted Sculpture: Cocoon

My sculptures for this class are getting so sophisticated! I've learned so much about light and construction especially considering it's a self directed course. Honestly the work I did at my midterm looked like what I had envisioned my final project looking, and now I am moved beyond that. I sound very self satisfied, but look what I made from an umbrella, lamp base, pencils, and stockings.

lit, with flash for clarity but doesn't show the color.
unlit, I think with flash
close up of texture, shows color betterthough I think it's more vivid in person.

I made the texture by creating runs in the stockings, gathers with small stitches, and some draping excess. It's not resined because I like the softness. It looks a lot like I planned although it also came together in response to the materials instead of just following a design. This is the second incarnation of this light. The first one was more dangerous because the bulb was really close to the paper I used. And I didn't like it very much but I spent so many hours trying to make the umbrella work but it just kept getting worse and worse. That happens a lot working with found objects or even unfamiliar materials. But usually after a while I figure out the constraints and make something work, and the umbrella just never did during that session.

Eventually I made it into this with scrapbook paper, playing with the lanterny shadowbox thing* and thinking about how to integrate the spidery umbrella and old fashioned papers kind of like steampunk, but with a different aesthetic. My professor said it was much too lamp-like and decorative. Since I thought it was very ugly and didn't integrate the components I didn't mind the criticism. So in the remake I stripped the paper and made the shape less lamp-like using golf pencils. Then I had planned to cover it with stocking material, shape it with thread, stiffen with fabric stiffener, and paint it. But I was in Oakland without my paints so I bought red tights along with the sheer. I think that worked out brilliantly because I was limited to pulling and distorting the fabric to create interest.

*before the term ends I really want to make a silhouette based light. My friend Max has some little frosted cube lights he might give me one when he moves, which would be amazing.