Alisha Sullivan MFA Applied Craft + Design Practicum 2014
Fort Theory: A Nomadic Sculpture
My work stems from a deeply rooted interest in the phenomenon of experience as it pertains to the perception of self and surroundings, architecture and environment, and the creation of systems of engagement. The work explores the ephemeral nature of shared experience, and the understanding of place through immersive, site specific installations and enclosures. The sculptural objects are made from materials ranging from inflated plastics to fabrics and found organic objects, but all serve the purpose of creating environments and interventions meant to be experienced physically as space, and visually as mark making in a landscape.
Drawing from the work of artists such as Jorge Pardo and Olafur Eliasson who create immersive public art installations that act as architecture, fine art and phenomenological experience, I am interested in placing my work in the public realm where a non-traditional audience might engage with it. My practice exists as a hybrid of design process enmeshed with conceptual art research and it blurs the boundary between functional design, art, and environmental intervention. I have a background in visual storytelling and experience building through set design for film, art direction and as an event producer, and I draw upon that knowledge to choreograph situations for my audience.
Overall, my work stems from a deeply rooted interest in the phenomenon of experience as it pertains to the perception of self and surroundings, architecture and environment, and the creation of systems of engagement. The work explores the ephemeral nature of shared experience, and the understanding of place through immersive, site specific installations and enclosures. The sculptural objects are made from materials ranging from inflated plastics to fabrics and found organic objects, but all serve the purpose of creating environments and interventions meant to be experienced physically as space, and visually as mark making in a landscape.
Drawing from the work of artists such as Jorge Pardo and Olafur Eliasson who create immersive public art installations that act as architecture, fine art and phenomenological experience, I am interested in placing my work in the public realm where a non-traditional audience might engage with it. My practice exists as a hybrid of design process enmeshed with conceptual art research and it blurs the boundary between functional design, art, and environmental intervention. I have a background in visual storytelling and experience building through set design for film, art direction and as an event producer, and I draw upon that knowledge to choreograph situations for my audience.