Describe one of Han Sai Por’s Sculpture
“Floral Inspiration” by Han Sai Por is a set of carved and polished marble sculptures done in 2007. They are currently located in Changi Airport Terminal 3. The 2 sculptures, standing side by side, consist of 1 tall and lean sculpture and the other being slightly more spherical in shape. Other than their shape, the 2 sculptures share similar characteristics. They resemble enlarged cylindrical/ spherical peach seeds, with an entwined coral-like network encasing the seed body, which eventually fuses into a smooth pointed tip. The seemingly endless twining of the coral like network results in the white marble having shadows in various shades of grey, and adds to the interest factor. The 2 sculptures are organic in shape, and the white medium is enhanced by the lighting set at the base of the sculpture, which also places emphasis on the coral patterns. The sculptures are well balanced and look the same all aroundl. Like the “Seed Series”, Han Sai Por probably takes her inspiration from Nature.
[ picture from http://placesinsingapore.blogspot.com/2008/03/changi-international-airport-terminal-3.html ]
Describe one of Antony Gormley’s installation
well we were supposed to describe an installation in relation to the concept of Land Art, but i made a BooBoo.“Domain Field” by Antony Gormley done in 2003 is a set of sculpture consisting of 287human figures, each known as a “domain”, is constructed using stainless steel bars of various lengths. The individual sculptures resemble human forms in different but natural positions, varying from standing relaxedly to lying down, giving the domains a sense of life and moment, yet simultaneously seem to be frozen by time.
Human volunteers are moulded in plaster to construct individual sculptures, (so the sculptures are life-size, ranging from children to elderly,) by welding steel elements together inside each mould. The recognisable human forms are suggested by the sparse criss crossing of the steel bars.
At a glance, the figures in “Domain Field” appear almost mist like and seem to fade into the background, giving them a sense of weightlessness, despite chosen medium. The use of lines, steel bars to sketch, or cross hatch the drawing of the sculpture, reveals the construction process, like steel structures are to a building.
And here’s a quote which wraps up the installation nicely
“The body becomes an open matrix, where the viewer is completely aware of the human presense, yet also simutaneously its absense“–Philips dePury and Company
[ picture from http://www.hants.gov.uk/antonygormley/domainfield.html ]
Compare and contrast the works by the artist, paying attention to their concerns in art.
Similarities:
Both Han Sai Por and Antony Gormley make use of the colours of the raw materials, Han Sai Por with her polished marble in “Growth” and Antony Gormley in his “Time Horizon”.
The use of repetition also occurs in the works of both artists, though in different ways. Han Sai Por’s series shows similar sculptures, yet each is unique as each of them is hand made, while Antony Gormley’s sculptures may be mass produced industrially, as seen in “Time Horizon”, where the same figure appears, buried in varying depth.
Differences:
Han Sai Por is concerned with nature, as seen “Floral Inspiration”, as well as the sense of timelessness and permanence, while Antony Gormley is more concerned with human figures, and human psychic, as well as playing with “presence and absence”, such as in “Domain Field”, “Time Horizon”, and “Another Place” just to name a few.
In terms of medium, Han Sai Por likes to use stone, marble as her medium to carve, which is closer to nature. Antony Gormley commonly uses metal, such as steel and bronze to cast his sculptures.
Han Sai Por works with positive spaces, carving out of materials, while Antony Gormley works with negative spaces, uses cat to cast bronze, stell, metal and sometimes the reversal of it.
Lastly, Han Sai Por works with relatively small, minimal sculptures, such as “Growth”, and her largest sculpture being “Shimmering Pearls”. Antony Gormley works with increasingly large scale commisions, eg, Angel of the North.
