Home For Souls
Home For Souls is a piece made to be in a cemetery. Cemeteries hold a lot of meaning for me because I find them peaceful, so the goal of this piece was to give the cemeteries a happier and more peaceful feel for those who don't see them as such. The piece contains two "homes", one for the living and one for the dead. There are stairs that lead up to a slide and tunnels underneath them.
Inspiration
My inspiration is the Joshua Tree Outdoor Museum in California. I admire the simple designs of the structures that come together to be something very interesting. The artist is Noah Purifoy, who did most of his work in Joshua Tree, California. Purifoy was dedicated to social justice and used his art to convey his message. He created sculptures from different garbage and other debris.
I admired the way Purifoy was able to make simple objects into art. The desert (where the structures are all located) is such a plain and boring place, and he made it unique and eye catching with his art. I wanted to do the same with my art and make an area look more exciting and interesting with a sculpture.
Planning
In my planning sketches, I began with the basic structure of two squares attached on opposite sides to make the homes. I then added on to this part to make it more appealing to look at. I knew I wanted my structure to be sturdy. As a child I would always wonder why I couldn't climb or play on the structures in the art museum. I wanted to make my piece able to be climbed and played on to bring out the meaning more.
My final sketch, shown at right, shows all of the components I used in my final model.
Process/Experimentation
The first object I constructed was the stairs. I glued pieces of wood together and lined them with black paper. I made each of the pieces the same length and there was a lot of trimming to make everything look neat and clean. I used hot glue for the entire project. The stairs would then be attached to the home of the living side to represent the climb that life is.
Next, I constructed the slide, which attaches to the stairs. The slide attaches to the home for the dead. I then made the two homes. They were constructed together, divided by a piece of cardboard. They form a simple double sided cave that serves as a home for living people and dead people. This way, people can feel like they are with loved ones who have passed in ways other than sitting at their graves.
The location for my project is in Mt. Olivet Cemetery. I have made a lot of memories there and I visit it often with my friends. This cemetery has a lot of open space that isn't filled with graves. In one corner, facing where the streets meet. This is the perfect spot for my piece because it is in view of everyone around. I crafted this area by putting up a cardboard fence on a board. I set the sidewalk where it is in the graveyard, and glued the model in the corner where the fences met. I kept the fences simple, without any design or shape to them because I didn't want it to distract from the model.
Reflection
I like the clean and simple look my model has. I honestly struggled with this project a lot, because this isn't the type of art I usually do. I spent many nights stressing over it and lost a lot of motivation to complete it overall. I think I overthought it all too much, and I also wish I had brought more of my own art into it, by designing the outside of the model, to give the walls texture. To make it more like the Outdoor Museum, I could have added objects onto the walls that symbolized life and death. I think this project was a good idea but I don't see it being an area I pursue.
Compare and Contrast
Home For Souls
Comparing:
- Both pieces use blocky shapes with hard edges to create shape - Both pieces use sturdy materials that can hold weight - Both pieces have a main structure and smaller pieces that come off of that structure - Both pieces have limited color and are not very vibrant pieces |
Piece from Joshua Tree Outdoor Museum by Noah Purifoy
Contrasting:
- Home For Souls is more simplistic, while this part of the Outdoor Museum has some intricate parts to it - The shape of the Outdoor Museum is more unique and it has many different textures because of the different materials that are used - The Outdoor Museum is a very random structure with many pieces hanging out and many odd shapes while the Home For Souls is more sturdy and kept together |
Bibliography
“Joshua Tree Outdoor Museum.” Noah Purifoy Foundation, 2021, www.noahpurifoy.com/joshua-tree-outdoor-museum/pscu7h0rb4ugkaz4i0xdxafjkjlts6.