WP3: Final Draft

Author's Note:


Throughout this semester I have been challenged to analyze forms of expression and the arguments they portray. For Writing Project 3 I could’ve gone about this the traditional way with a literary paper, or choose the unorthodox option of writing a letter addressed to my sculpture. I chose the latter because I felt it would be more of a challenge and implemented more room for creativity. In order to effectively create a letter to Story I needed to gather some background information. This included researching his father (the artist William King) and the variety of contexts that surrounded him. My first impressions of Story focused on the leg jutting out and the cigarette in his right hand. One of the reasons I chose this sculpture was because I found the leg somewhat comical in contrast to the rest of the body and the cigarette fairly amusing.

The more time I spent with this sculpture, the more I was able to dissect it and view it in different manners. Seeing a variety of people walk to and fro made me ponder how Story viewed these people. Analyzing context was a major factor in putting together my letter. Being outside and open to the elements made me question items such as material used, location, and arrangement of the piece. Story is placed in a wide stretch of open grass that juxtaposes greatly with his aluminum frame. This clash of hues was one of the reasons I was so intrigued by this figure.

When writing a letter certain concepts come into play. Obviously a familiarity between the two correspondents is necessary and this relationship dictates the dialect used when conversing. I viewed my relationship with Story as sophisticatedly casual. Story portrays an ethos of intelligence and class yet with a calm aura present. Therefore, I approached my letter as though we were two retired professors conversing about meaningful issues. The language is educated yet references to popular culture are scattered throughout the correspondence.

One challenge was addressing Story’s creation and journey to the Sheldon Art Museum without “telling” Story this information. I accomplished this by referencing nostalgic moments or referring to William King as Story’s father. In order to employ some of Story’s rhetorical appeals into the letter I would reference a memory we shared together and slyly slip in some of the concepts from CDA.

Oral communication has the potential for the most audience impact since you are speaking directly with your audience. In order to maximize my performance I must employ the use of gestures, varying tones of voice, and eye contact. When performing, I plan to mainly address Story but on occasion I will turn to the audience. For some of the lighthearted moments or rhetorical questions I will face the audience in order to break the “fourth wall”. When addressing certain parts of the sculpture I will point or caress that portion of Story. I must also physically move around Story to show the audience that this is a three-dimensional figure that can be viewed from multiple angles. Speaking loudly and clearly is a must to evoke an ethos of confidence. Finally, when posing as Story I plan to position myself a few feet away, yet parallel to the figure. I will have one leg extended greatly and my right arm held tight to my body with a cigarette in hand. Hopefully I can hold that pose for the required amount of time without laughing or breaking character.



Statement of Purpose

Rough Draft


Dear Story,

I was first drawn to you from afar by your extraneous leg protruding into the green abyss of grass. Even though this extremity seemed phallic, I knew it was a characteristic of the opposite sex due to your pop’s love of the ladies. Your father Billy was very fond of his mother and was impacted greatly by the numerous wives he encountered throughout life. Portraying women as powerful, he aimed to accentuate their most magnificent features. We all know women can stick out their majestic legs to grab cab rides, right Story? Other than that leg though, you’re very hermaphroditic. This shows that your father wanted to conglomerate all the styles of his work into one entity- You!

That cigarette you’re holding isn’t just for a quick high. It categorizes you as a figure of society. Your father loved to emulate everyday gestures and then alter the proportions of the body parts to portray an argument. Poking fun at the elite and political icons was a unique pastime of your old man. Using familiar gestures like playing cricket or a team huddling up helped create a familiarity between the viewers and the sculptures. It also juxtaposes human warmth and the artificiality of people in social situations. When I first met you I felt a connection due to your human like outline, yet right from the start I knew you weren’t normal. An extremely skinny leg with an elongated foot was a dead give away. You really inspired me Story to question what is “normal” in modern society. With the media having more impact then ever, it is almost essential to have symmetrical arms and legs that are exactly the same size. Also women must have a voluptuous figure and men a muscular tone to appear “normal”. With so much pressure on a attaining a specific image maintaining individuality is washed down the drain. You’ve shown me that being myself is important and my actions influence the story of my life.

Do you mind if I borrow your leg and right arm for a bit Story? I’m just joking we both know you’d only be a thin, 2-dimensional slate of aluminum if I did that. You are a conglomeration of otherwise meaningless pieces, classic King style. That puzzle-like ethos of yours reminds me of when your father worked in the airfields patching together wrecked planes. As we all know, puzzles need clearly defined pieces and your body parts all have defining and rounded outlines. Although this may not be realistic, it sure is eye-catching!

I remember the first day I met you it was bright, sunny day. That aluminum coat of yours shined brightly and really caught my eye. From a distance it looked like a uniform covering, yet with different degrees of light intensity I could spot some of your flaws. Slight differences in hue show that you are not as clear cut as you appear to be. That’s part of your plan though and necessary for survival in these adverse conditions. Even though you are on the thin side, you’re durability is impressive. You’ve withstood many frigid Nebraska winters and harsh summers. It’s interesting that you are durable, yet evoke an ethos of fragility. When compared to your neighbors you appear emaciated and anorexic, yet you bear little evidence of the strenuous journey you have endured.

Remember that one session we had together where your right arm was swinging slightly in the wind? I was astounded at how that juxtaposed with the foundation of your foot. You are full of contrasting elements such as these which are congruent with your father’s life. Stuck in the moment, you exhibit a conflict of desires. The long extension of your leg shows that you yearn for the freedom of discovery, yet your right arm is bent closely to your body evoking a sense of leisure and relaxedness. This never-ending struggle symbolizes how your father was always torn between doing the tried and tested method or venturing into unknown territory. It is similar to your brother “Self” who also represents a massive change in your father’s style. As you know, “Self” denotes a switch to the long-legged figures and disproportionate brothers you are so familiar with.


Now Story I know you can’t keep your head on a swivel, but have you noticed how isolated you are? The Lied Performing Arts Center and the Kimball Recital Hall box you in on two sides and an array of benches lay to your left. The closest piece of art to you is Torso which is behind you, so you can’t really communicate. That’s why you must wet your social appetite by observing the daily lives of others. Remember when we were having a pleasant conversation when all of a sudden two busloads of fourth graders rolled up for field trip? They thought I was strange for lying next to a giant sculpture, but I was more worried about you. I mean, smoking a giant cigarette near children, really Story? What kind of message are we sending to kids? Hopefully those kids were entranced with your massive leg and bypassed the stick of sunshine in your right hand. Nevertheless, you are exposed to hundreds of diverse people every day. How do you deal with all the attention? Part of you wants the attention and maybe even to venture into the street and mingle with these people, while the other part wants to stay in place and watch life drift by.

Story, I have been blessed to have met you. You are special. I know this because your uncle Blake King donated you in honor of the former director of this museum. That is quite a prestigious accomplishment! You have shown me that being an individual leads to a more vivid and exciting life story. Through knowing you, I have discovered some of the internal conflicts that I deal with on a daily basis. Do I continue to get the number 7 combo at Taco Bell or should I branch out and purchase a $5 Box that supposedly rocks? The magnitude of your leg suggests that I should take a leap of faith and divert from the mundane. I always try to challenge myself, but sometimes I become complacent. Thanks for keeping me on track Story. Genius will be imitated, and I will imitate you both physically and mentally.


Your beloved friend,

John

WP3: Rough Draft 1

Dear Story,

I was first drawn to you from afar by your extraneous leg protruding into the green abyss of grass. Even though this extremity seemed phallic, I knew it was a characteristic of the opposite sex. Your father Billy was very fond of his mother and was impacted greatly by the numerous wives he encountered throughout life. Portraying women as powerful, he aimed to accentuate their most magnificent features. We all know women can use their legs to grab cabs, right Story? Other than that leg though, you’re very hermaphroditic. This shows that your father wanted to conglomerate all the styles of his work into one entity- You!

That cigarette you’re holding isn’t just for a quick high. It categorizes you as a figure of society. Your father loved to emulate everyday gestures and then alter the proportions of the body parts to portray an argument. Poking fun at the elite and political icons was a unique pastime of your old man. Using the familiar gestures helped create a familiarity between the viewers and the sculptures. It also juxtaposes human warmth and the artificiality of people in social situations. When I first met you I felt a connection due to your human like outline, yet right from the start I knew you weren’t normal. An extremely skinny leg with an elongated foot was a dead give away. You really inspired me Story to question what is “normal” in modern society. With the media having more impact then ever, it is almost essential to have symmetrical arms and legs that are exactly the same size. Also women must have a voluptuous figure and men a muscular tone to appear “normal”. With so much pressure on a attaining a specific image maintaining individuality is washed down the drain. You’ve shown me that being myself is important and my actions influence the story of my life.


Do you mind if I borrow your leg and right arm for a bit Story? I’m just joking we both know you’d only be a thin, 2-dimensional slate of aluminum if I did that. You are a conglomeration of otherwise meaningless pieces, classic King style. That puzzle-like ethos of yours reminds me of when your father worked in the airfields patching together wrecked planes. As we all know, puzzles need clearly defined pieces and your body parts all have defining and rounded outlines. Although this may not be realistic, it sure is eye-catching!

I remember the first day I met you it was bright, sunny day. That aluminum coat of yours shined brightly and really caught my eye. From a distance it looked like a uniform covering, yet with different degrees of light intensity I could spot some of your flaws. Indifferences in hue show that you are not as clear cut as you appear to be. That’s part of your plan though and necessary for survival in these adverse conditions. Even though you are on the thin side, you’re durability is impressive. You’ve withstood many frigid Nebraska winters and harsh summers. It’s interesting that you are durable, yet evoke an ethos of fragility.

Remember that one session we had together where your right arm was swinging slightly in the wind? I was astounded at how that juxtaposed with the foundation of your foot. You are full of contrasting elements such as these which are congruent with your father’s life. Stuck in the moment, you exhibit a conflict of desires. The long extension of your leg shows that you yearn for the freedom of discovery, yet your right arm is bent closely to your body evoking a sense of leisure and relaxedness. This never-ending struggle symbolizes how your father was always torn between doing the tried and tested method or venturing into unknown territory. It is similar to your brother “Self” who also represents a massive change in your father’s style. As you know, “Self” denotes a switch to the long-legged figures and disproportionate brothers you are so familiar with.

Now Story I know you can’t keep your head on a swivel, but have you noticed how isolated you are? The Lied Performing Arts Center and the Kimball Recital Hall box you in on two sides and an array of benches lay to your left. The closest piece of art to you is Torso which is behind you, so you can’t really communicate. That’s why you must wet your social appetite by observing the daily lives of others. Remember when we were having a pleasant conversation when all of a sudden two busloads of fourth graders rolled up for field trip? They thought I was strange for lying next to a giant sculpture, but I was more worried about you. I mean, smoking a giant cigarette near children, really Story? What kind of message are we sending to kids? Hopefully those kids were entranced with your massive leg and bypassed the stick of sunshine in your right hand. Nevertheless, you are exposed to hundreds of diverse people every day. How do you deal with all the attention? Part of you wants the attention and maybe even to venture into the street and mingle with these people, while the other part wants to stay in place and watch life drift by.

Story, I have been blessed to have met you. You are special; I know this because your uncle donated you in honor of the former director of this museum. That is quite a prestigious accomplishment! You have shown me that being an individual leads to a more vivid and exciting life story. Through knowing you, I have discovered some the internal conflicts that I deal with on a daily basis. Do I continue to get the number 7 combo at Taco Bell or should I branch out and purchase a $5 Box that supposedly rocks? The magnitude of your leg suggests that I should take a leap of faith and divert from the mundane. I always try to challenge myself, but sometimes I become complacent. Thanks for keeping me on track Story. Genius will be imitated, and I will imitate you both physically and mentally.


Your beloved friend,

John

WP3: Statement of Purpose

Assessing a sculpture, especially one as complex as “Story” can seem like a daunting task. The three main concepts to consider when forming a purpose are medium, context, and audience. All of these play a vital role in supporting an argument that the viewer can assess.

Out of all types of art, sculptures have the most freedom and flexibility when comes to choice of medium. A single substance may be used or a conglomeration of materials can be forged together to create an image. In the case of “Story” a single substance, aluminum, is uniformly distributed throughout the sculpture. This is a common element in today’s society and can be seen fairly clearly in all degrees of brightness. On a sunny day aluminum can brighten the area around it by reflecting sun rays or cast lengthy shadows on both itself and the ensuing ground. Being both light and thin, aluminum portrays a fragile ethos that is easily swayed with the slightest gust of wind. This increases its ability to be manipulated and contributes to King’s affinity with disproportionate body parts. One important factor to consider is that the sculpture is man-made evidenced by the bolts connecting both the base and foot to a concrete block. The modern materials juxtapose greatly with the surrounding green grass.

After analyzing the medium of the sculpture, one must analyze the medium of the writing project. I will be writing a letter to my sculpture which implies a certain sense of familiarity between the two of us. It will be a challenge to both inquire about the recent activity of my friend and analyze its rhetorical strategies. Use of flashbacks and references to his father (William King) will be in order to smoothly concatenate both concepts.

Context plays a major role in this sculpture’s argument, most notably in its outside presence. It is vulnerable to the elements and therefore must exhibit a certain degree of sustainability. Even though “Story” is made out of thin aluminum, it still holds up even during the winter months. The straight cut sets of the sculpture enable rain drops to just roll off the surface without any lasting impact. Along with the aesthetical context, there is the historical context to consider. William King was very partial to long-legged figures and was extremely fond of his mother. He also liked to portray figures in an everyday gesture, which in this sculpture is embodied by the cigarette. Knowing the background of the artist can significantly help with uncovering the argument.

Finally, I will need to consider my audience when conjuring up this letter. My primary audiences are “Story” since I am addressing the letter to it and Mr. Ware because he will be evaluating my letter. There are numerous secondary audiences such as my peers, people strolling by during my reading, and anyone with internet access. Letters are personal pieces of writing and usually contain subtleties that only the two correspondents are familiar with. I must walk a fine line between creating a personal relationship between “Story” and me and making it accessible to an average person with limited art experience.

By considering the medium of my piece and letter, context of my sculpture, and multiple audiences I can develop a statement of purpose. My goal is to show that “Story” is a stereotypical King piece that embodies his prominent methods post-“Self”. It can be viewed through multiple lenses including historical and contextual. The wacky proportions of “Story” embody King’s strange journey through life and how he sees the world.

WP3: Fourth Post

After researching the background of my sculpture and its sculptor, my perceptions of “Story” have altered dramatically. William King grew up in Florida where his father was an engineer and his mother a school teacher. He father actually built the house that they lived in which inspired William’s brother Blake to become an engineer. His father dealt with many bits and pieces and was able to construct them in a suitable manner. This heavily influenced King’s work through set pieces that had slots to connect them. Researchers have divided King’s career into two sections, before “Self” and after “Self”. During his first ten years he constructed sculptures that were based on observations of people. He used abstraction to convey satirical or political arguments. However, most of these pieces were one entity and were made out of similar materials. The 1957 sculpture “Self” was a career defining creation that embodied both his past work (abstraction of observations) and future work (attached and assembled creations). I feel as if “Story” and “Self” are cousins because the both employ long legs, a fragile appearance, a uniform outer skin, and a mock-hero contemplating his life story.

King had many influences in his life, but one of the most prominent was his mother. Viewed as a powerful and respected woman by King, his mother told him to follow whatever path he wanted. One grand example of this is when his mother gave him $100 and told him not to come back to Florida for 20 years. She wanted him to chase his dream of becoming an artist and for him to create his own path. It seems that he had a deeper connection with his mother than his father, possibly because his father worked long hours and was more compatible with his brother, Blake. In his sculptures, King portrays women as powerful and confident with abounding charm and delight. Men are shown as exaggerated beings bent on success, even if that requires rudeness or aggression. Women are shown as more straightforward while men will put on “societal disguises” to get what they want. Using this information, I am still a little divided when assessing “Story”. While the sculpture does comply with King’s affinity for “figures of society”, it has attributes of both sexes. Evidence such as the cigarette and disproportionate body parts point to a male character, while the long leg symbolizes power and is usually a trait of women. However, when one factors in that he was heavily influenced by the females in his life the decision leans in the feminine direction.

Overall, this is a classic King piece for the post-“Self” era. It embodies his juxtaposition of human warmth and social artificiality and contains set pieces that have been crudely put together. Taking simple human gestures and flipping their meaning upside down is a King trait that is present in this sculpture. Also, using aluminum helps contribute to a lightweight and delicate feel that appeals to pathos of delight and lightheartedness.

WP3: Third Post

With the sculpture I selected, there are multiple ways to analyze its rhetorical strategies, appeals, and concepts. One prominent feature in the sculpture is the use of shadows. When the shadows change, so does the rhetorical argument. During one session with my sculpture, the shadow from the massive leg made it seem as if the figure was crossing its legs and indeed had two legs. This contributes to the reality of the figure and is interesting that it only occurs at certain time periods during certain days. When viewing the figure from the right side I noticed a multitude of new rhetorical appeals that contribute to a variety of arguments. First of all, I observed that the leg, especially the between the knee and ankle, was extremely emaciated. Yet when I directed my eyes to the foot I was shocked at how elongated it was. The juxtaposition between the elongated foot with a bump on the top and the smooth, thin leg was intriguing and perhaps represents that the first step in doing something is the largest. Another juxtaposition I noticed was between the arm that was in close proximity to the torso and the leg which extended far from the torso. I felt as if there two conflicting feelings within this figure. One persona wanted to stay sitting and relax with a cigarette while the other wanted to leave this safe haven and explore the world. However, it was ironic that the foot was supposed to represent freedom, yet was bolted down, not able to move. The arm was loose and could swing with the wind, yet wanted to stay close to its owner and safety.

When viewing the figure from the side and a little behind I became aware of how prominent the shoulder blade was since it protruded to a great extent. It made me wonder if our shoulder blades really stick out that far. The buttock was also blown out of proportion and had small indentations so it wasn’t a perfect curve. I was intrigued because the shoulder blade gradually descended into the back while the buttock was simply a semi-circle with no smooth connection between it and the torso. This piece tinkers with our normal perceptions of body parts and challenges us to question what is “normal” or “attractive”.

One final concept is the presence of two bumps on top of the cigarette. It is assumed that the viewer recognizes these as two fingers holding the cigarette in place. In society the accepted way to hold a cigarette when smoking it is with one’s index and middle fingers. If one looks closely though, the picture doesn’t make sense. Looking from the side, the cigarette is visible with two bumps above it (the fingers). However, in reality only one finger would be visible with the view of the other one being blocked by the first one. A play on perspective is meant to make sure the audience can identify with the object, even if it’s in an unorthodox way.