Societal Contraints Project

I recently completed a semester of Casting and thought I'd share my last project.  I combined a computer designed and Shapeways manufactured ring (with a sizing mechanism) with cast silicone for this piece.  Here is my concept sketch.

Here's a screen view of my file.

 I received the Shapeways order and inserted polymer clay into the ring cage to sculpt the tension marks I wanted.  This was actually Plan C in a line of unsuccessful processes, but I think it was the best option with my time constraints.

I then made a mold of this, carved the clay out of the cage, inserted the cage back in the mold, and cast the same silicone back into the mold.  Here are my results.  It made of three pieces such that how you assemble it determines the ring size.  See below for an artist statement.

Artist Statement

            This piece draws inspiration from the stories of Italo Calvino.  I pulled imagery from his writing related to society, multiplicity, tension, fat, sweat, squeezed, discomfort, and constraints.  These images made me think of societal constraints on that which it dubs “abnormal,” or “not right.”  These constraints are applied to the people that express traits relating to weight, sexual orientation, mental health, skin color, wealth, profession, etc.  I aimed to create a piece that brought attention to these tensions, and then applied a constraint to the wearer to the point of discomfort.

            My piece utilizes imagery and tactile qualities relating to tension on flesh.  The 3D printed metallic material represents societal views, while the silicone insert represents the individual person.  The insert is black to relate to stigma and is made of silicone to relate the texture to flesh.  The tension illustrated in the silicone is mimicked on the wearer’s finger.  I created a mechanism among the printed parts such that it can be adjusted to fit most size fingers.  I wanted the piece to be universal to all individual wearers and to the individual tensions related to societal constraints.  This piece demonstrates tension and discomfort in the presence of societal constrictions.