Artist Wolfgang Buttress created an installation art that looks like a giant dandelion blowing in the wind. Its is created with over 3000 hand blown glass dandelion flower seed pods which extend from a circular center. The artwork is entitled Lucent, and is 3000 times larger than to a real dandelion in seed. It is suspended above a glass "reflecting pool". The installation’s name means "to Shine"( Latin for the word Lucent) It is currently on view at the John Hancock Center in Chicago.
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| Wolfgang Buttress Installation Artwork |
Installation Art
Installation artwork is art that is assembled, at least for the most part, at the place it is to be displayed. Installation is one of the most popular and widespread forms of contemporary art today,
Creating an Installation art Dandelion piece of your own.
In order to create a wonderful artwork of your own you will need the following:
1. A Styrofoam ball for each child (tennis ball sized works good)
2. Q-tips (about 25 per child)
3. A stiff straw or a plastic floral stem (color of choice)
4. A small bowl with a bit of water
5. Essential Oil (scent of choice )
6. A bit of Tempera Paint
7. A sandwich bag for each child to take Installation Pieces Home in.
8. A plastic jar or vase (used from home, they don't have to bring it to art class)
Cut each Q-tip into two equal pieces, so that you have a cotton end on either side. Do this with a number of Q-tips. It may take 25 or so q-tips for each ball, if your balls are about tennis ball sized, it really depends on the size of ball you have and how close you want the q-tips. Then add a drop of tempera paint to the bowl along with a drop of the essential oil. You can use different bowls and
different colors of tempera paint for multi-colored Dandelion's. Kids may enjoy sharing colors. Have each student dip and lay the end of each q-tip on a paper towel. (The essential oil not only help kids stay calm and focused while creating the installation pieces but makes the piece multi-functional, now it is also a wonderful aromatherapy art for the home. (great idea for mothers day) Leave the q-tips to dry for the day, then have students put them into a sandwich bag.
After the q-tips have dried have each child assemble their Installation pieces to be assembled at home. They each need a sandwich bag with a Styrofoam ball, and the colored q-tips and a straw. Let the children know that this work is not done, it needs to be finished (INSTALLED) at home where it will be used, or in their mothers room if you are homeschooling and using the idea for mothers day - Install each dandelion where ever they decide they want the work to be displayed.
Explain how to assemble artwork - in fact, show this by example - have each child do a bit of one that you decide to use as an example until it is completely finished, including deciding where it will be displayed. Explain that this is all a part of an installation artists work, it is always thought thorough carefully and done on site.
Tell students that when they are home they need to do this quietly and quickly (If it is mothers day they can do it while she is in the other room) and leave no messes clean up! Of course emphasis NO MESS! They will then go home, or to another room or wherever and stick the ends of their q-tips in the Styrofoam balls so that the cotton colored ends show. Remind them that they need to remember to leave a place for the straw. Tell them to space their q- tips apart a bit so that they are not all clumped together, and to leave all the ,not yet used q-tips, in the sandwich bag and work on a paper towel so that they don't make a mess. Be sure and throw all these things away at the end of the installation, They can stick each q-tip about 1/2 inch into the ball. and then push in the straw in last. Add the flower to a plastic jar, vase or something from home, even a plastic soda bottle works, and decide where that artwork is to be displayed, then each child should draw or take a photo of the artwork, showing no messes were left and where how beautiful the artwork looks in their home or room.
Display and Tell
I love the way this works, kids will too, they enjoy telling the class about how they did their artwork (in secret) and how it came together and how long it took them, they should also tell about clean up. The next time you meet simply have students show tell about their installation artwork. They can show the photo or artwork that they did and tell about their installation and show where they chose to put their work and how it is now displayed.
