The Project

In early December, St. Olaf College's Introduction to 3-D art class was assigned a Human Body Sculpture project. Each student was asked to utilize the bodies of members of the class or others to create a living sculpture. Students were also required to consider the space in which their sculpture would exist and how that affected both the sculpture and the concept of their work. The results contained a variety of methods ranging from performance pieces or static forms, photographic documentation, and video.

"Well Oiled Machine" by Hillary King:

Hillary's Thoughts

In my Living Sculpture, I wanted to display movement, yet slightly remove it from the human world. I instructed the members of my sculpture to remain as stiff as possible to create a mechanical movement among them. The movements are steady and repetitious, and the video is meant to seem like it merely cuts into an action that has been going on for a while and will continue on in the same manner for much longer. I also took into consideration the setting of my sculpture. I wanted it outside, as a juxtaposition between the mechanical movement and the still nature. The whiteness of the snow visually contrasts with the black garments of the sculpture. In its creation, I did consider it as a sculpture, not as my group of friends. The only time I viewed it as a group of individuals rather than one unit was when i had to tweak the way some of them were moving. It was about a whole form, not individual aspects like faces. I strove for a general contour and movement.
Though their bodies were used in the creation of the sculpture, the members of the group were not the creators. It was art to me, but they were merely performers and only had a vague outline of my concept for the piece. While they were a part of a greater artwork, I doubt that they felt as though they were making art, or even part of it until they saw the finished video.

Molly's Thoughts

When Hillary asked me to be a part of an art project with our group of friends, I did not really think of it as creating a piece of art. However, I did relate it to our discussion in class when we talked about humans as art, but in this case, we were supposed to be representing something that was not human. I never really wrapped my head around the idea being sought out, and I just saw the experience as my group of friends portraying a machine.

Although my personal experience did not give me the feeling that I was making art, the project and Hillary's intent would constitute it as art.

The idea, image and thought came from Hillary, but I also think my friends and I could be considered the ones who created the piece since it was our movement as a whole that made up what was being portrayed.