ArtsNet Minnesota: Designing Spaces and Places

Sizing Things Up

In this activity you will:

Make a soft sculpture in different sizes to understand the concept of scale, the size of an object in relation to the things around it.

Before you begin:

Look at the works Falling Shoestring Potatoes, Spoonbridge and Cherry and Sphere to help you with this activity.

You will need:

A variety of small objects
at least 2 pieces of mural paper in each of these sizes - 4 x 6", 20 x 30" and 32 x 48"
markers
shredded paper
staplers and staples

Here's how to do it:

Select an object. It could be a roll of tape, a pencil, an eraser, a small battery, a paper clip, anything. Select 2 pieces of paper of the same size. The paper 4 x6" will allow you to make a soft sculpture that is 2 or 3 times larger than your object. The paper 20 x 30" will be about 5 times the size, and 32 x 48" will be approximately 8 times the size of the object you selected. Make an outline of your object on the paper. Be sure to fill the page with your drawing. Next, cut around your object leaving an edge of about an inch or so (so that you can staple it shut). Now, outline your object on both sides with markers. Color it if you wish. Staple your paper on three sides. Remember to leave a long side open. Now, stuff your sculpture with scraps of paper and shredded paper. Staple your sculpture shut.

Think about it:

Look at the different sizes of soft sculpture you created. Can you tell what the object is in each size? How has it become distorted? How has changing the scale altered the way you look at the original object? Which scale are you most comfortable with? Why? Do any of these objects begin to look like something else? Even though the basic shape of the object hasn't changed, the size makes it look like it could perhaps be a completely different object. When some people look at Falling Shoestring Potatoes they think it looks like an octopus with many legs, or some other sea creature. If you visit the Walker Art Center and the Frederick R. Weisman Museum to see the artworks named above, think about how those works of art would look if the artist changed the size or scale of the works. Would you want the artwork that was large to be small, or vice-versa?

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		Sizing Things Up
In this activity you will: Make a soft sculpture in different sizes to understand the concept of scale, the size of an object in relation to the things around it. Before you begin: Look at the works Falling Shoestring Potatoes, Spoonbridge and Cherry and Sphere to help you with this activity. You will need: A variety of small objects at least 2 pieces of mural paper in each of these sizes - 4 x 6", 20 x 30" and 32 x 48" markers shredded paper staplers and staples Here's how to do it: Select an object. It could be a roll of tape, a pencil, an eraser, a small battery, a paper clip, anything. Select 2 pieces of paper of the same size. The paper 4 x6" will allow you to make a soft sculpture that is 2 or 3 times larger than your object. The paper 20 x 30" will be about 5 times the size, and 32 x 48" will be approximately 8 times the size of the object you selected. Make an outline of your object on the paper. Be sure to fill the page with your drawing. Next, cut around your object leaving an edge of about an inch or so (so that you can staple it shut). Now, outline your object on both sides with markers. Color it if you wish. Staple your paper on three sides. Remember to leave a long side open. Now, stuff your sculpture with scraps of paper and shredded paper. Staple your sculpture shut. Think about it: Look at the different sizes of soft sculpture you created. Can you tell what the object is in each size? How has it become distorted? How has changing the scale altered the way you look at the original object? Which scale are you most comfortable with? Why? Do any of these objects begin to look like something else? Even though the basic shape of the object hasn't changed, the size makes it look like it could perhaps be a completely different object. When some people look at Falling Shoestring Potatoes they think it looks like an octopus with many legs, or some other sea creature. If you visit the Walker Art Center and the Frederick R. Weisman Museum to see the artworks named above, think about how those works of art would look if the artist changed the size or scale of the works. Would you want the artwork that was large to be small, or vice-versa?


Designing Spaces and Places \| Inner Worlds \| Environment \| What is Art \| Identity