Artist Statement

In this project, I decided to incorporate Gothic and African architecture. I used designs seen in Gothic cathedrals such as the spires and arcs as well as the distinctive wooden spikes sticking out of mud clay in mosques in Timbuktu. For my final piece, I first made all the props (cones, ribbed vaults, and sculptamold) before deciding on where to place them on the foam core. In the cones, I used elements of Gothic architecture such as the commonness of crosses, the multi-side-base pyramids, and the ribbed vaults. I added an abstract twist to them, such as sewing upside-down crosses and angling the vaults in different ways. Inspired by the mosques in Timbuktu, I used sculptamold and a Chobani® peach yogurt container to create a circular cylindrical structure in which I put needles to imitate the wooden spikes in the African structure from my research. My goal for this project was to essentially create a relief sculpture that speaks to my two chosen time periods and is simultaneously chaotic and intentional.