Just Junk?
Emily Willms
Spring 2016
Sue Hettmansperger
Professor from the School of Art and Art History
Everyone creates a waste stream unique to what they consume, however most pay little attention to the where their trash ends up and the effects it has on the environment. My honors project involves my own waste stream, the recycling system used in Iowa City, and Fibonacci’s golden ratio. I am interested in how I can diminish my own contribution to our landfills and find ways to repurpose items currently in my trash output. I am researching various collage artists, learning how Fibonacci tied together science and art, and creating a collage that is representative of Iowa City.
As I walked to class one day, I was awestruck by the amount of litter lying along the streets of Iowa City, particularly in the downtown area. As the days went on, I took mental notes of what type of trash lined the roads. Interestingly, the majority of litter I noticed was drug or alcohol related. I began collecting litter on my walks to and from class with the idea of collage in mind. My goal was to create a collage of Iowa City using detritus I collected from the downtown streets. My main influence for the project is Romare Bearden’s “The Block.” However, I also evaluated the way Derek Lerner uses mapping within his work. Mapping was included within my project to create additional connections to Iowa City. Maps of the downtown streets guided the collage work of this piece. The collage was layered upon multiple articles from the Daily Iowan and included items from my own waste stream. I recorded everything I threw out for 10 consecutive days to evaluate my contribution to the landfill. The newspaper and debris, either ripped or cut with scissors, was adhered to a high quality paper with a matte medium. The three papers were measured and divided according to Fibonacci’s golden spiral and rule of thirds. The golden ratio aided the layout of the compositions, as well. I referred to Fibonacci’s work, because it related to a couple aspects of my project. First, the golden ratio has been used by numerous artists throughout history to create an ideal composition. Second, the golden spiral has been identified in many parts of nature, including: flowers on petals, branching in trees, mating patterns in rabbits, the milky way, and even the human body. Fibonacci discovered a ratio that connects nature to art. While I used that same ratio to make art using what I found in nature.
My honors project opened my eyes to harmful effects my waste stream produces. Previously, I had little thoughts of trash life beyond the dumpster, but my project revealed ways to be more earth-friendly. In addition, I learned techniques to make separate works appear visually cohesive. My final project turned out differently than I had planned for. Most of my preliminary work dealt with the compositions. I think it would have been beneficial to think through more of the technical aspects of the project before jumping in and committing to a process. My project is different than how I imagined, however, I am pleased with the outcome. I intend for my work enlighten the harmful effects of our waste and provide an example of repurposing items we so quickly throw away.
As I walked to class one day, I was awestruck by the amount of litter lying along the streets of Iowa City, particularly in the downtown area. As the days went on, I took mental notes of what type of trash lined the roads. Interestingly, the majority of litter I noticed was drug or alcohol related. I began collecting litter on my walks to and from class with the idea of collage in mind. My goal was to create a collage of Iowa City using detritus I collected from the downtown streets. My main influence for the project is Romare Bearden’s “The Block.” However, I also evaluated the way Derek Lerner uses mapping within his work. Mapping was included within my project to create additional connections to Iowa City. Maps of the downtown streets guided the collage work of this piece. The collage was layered upon multiple articles from the Daily Iowan and included items from my own waste stream. I recorded everything I threw out for 10 consecutive days to evaluate my contribution to the landfill. The newspaper and debris, either ripped or cut with scissors, was adhered to a high quality paper with a matte medium. The three papers were measured and divided according to Fibonacci’s golden spiral and rule of thirds. The golden ratio aided the layout of the compositions, as well. I referred to Fibonacci’s work, because it related to a couple aspects of my project. First, the golden ratio has been used by numerous artists throughout history to create an ideal composition. Second, the golden spiral has been identified in many parts of nature, including: flowers on petals, branching in trees, mating patterns in rabbits, the milky way, and even the human body. Fibonacci discovered a ratio that connects nature to art. While I used that same ratio to make art using what I found in nature.
My honors project opened my eyes to harmful effects my waste stream produces. Previously, I had little thoughts of trash life beyond the dumpster, but my project revealed ways to be more earth-friendly. In addition, I learned techniques to make separate works appear visually cohesive. My final project turned out differently than I had planned for. Most of my preliminary work dealt with the compositions. I think it would have been beneficial to think through more of the technical aspects of the project before jumping in and committing to a process. My project is different than how I imagined, however, I am pleased with the outcome. I intend for my work enlighten the harmful effects of our waste and provide an example of repurposing items we so quickly throw away.