Final Imprint

After doing two months of searching the great environmental sculptor, Andy Goldsworthy, the way I live has been changed and influenced by Andy Goldsworthy’s approach of nature to his designs and creations. Now, when I look at a stone, I would not think of words like heavy or unwieldy but movement and flow. When I look at a material I would also think much deeper to its sensation, background, or history instead of just physically appearance and characteristic. Andy Goldsworthy has a deep-thinking mind who makes connection between nature and life in innovative ways. Andy Goldsworthy usually works outdoor as he prefer to face any uncertainty of the nature gives him. For example, raining or snowing. Even when Andy works indoor, it will still be one of the attempts to get to know more about nature. He likes the feeling of uncertainty that shocks his mind to think of fresh ideas. Andy is exceptionally sensitive to environment and nature around him. He usually works with what ever he has got in the surrounding nature to avoid certainty that blocks the creativity of his mind. His main objectives are to make connection with nature and life in every of its design, and remind human beings of their invaluable original sources that our land has provided us. Andy uses nature as his main source of ideas, materials, and concepts. I love the way Andy Goldsworthy does not use a lot of high technological materials into his design. Instead, using the original fundamentals to create modern design is what I am really admired about Andy Goldsworthy.  In my opinion, he is a great environmentalist and also a great nature spokesperson because everything he did is partly letting people know that the power of nature is much bigger than people could imagine; in other words, to let people be acknowledged about the importance of nature is to the world. In fact, anything he does and did is the developing understanding of the earth that we live on. Therefore, the position of Andy Goldsworthy and his spirit in the field of nature is irreplaceable and yet to be continued and passed on.

Balanced Rocks

This particular balanced rocks are located in Morecambe Bay, Lancashire, in May 1978. Composed of 14 irregular shape of stones that located one above another in a pattern of web-shaped. The effect of empty space between the stones let the light shines through creates a feeling of sunlight setting behind the stones blocking most of the rays of light. in my perspective, the “Balanced Rocks” creates a feeling of sunset when standing right in front of the object or at an angle, in which Andy Goldsworthy wants the nature phenomenon  to always be presented where ever his works locate. Before looking at this picture, I have never thought about placing irregular stones one above another to create such an innovative picture of the beauty of nature. The unique appearance of the “Balanced Rocks”shows its innovation as the shape of the entire object
looks completely against the gravity. In this case, I could proof that Andy Goldsworthy does not think on the same way of what most people usually think a material is.

Bibliography

“World Biography.” Andy Goldsworthy Biography. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 23 Nov. 2010. Web. 16 Nov. 2012. <http://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmakers2/2007-Co-Lh/Goldsworthy-Andy.html&gt;.

Goldsworthy, Andy. “Andy Goldsworthy – Works.” Andy Goldsworthy-Works. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2012. <http://www.ucblueash.edu/artcomm/web/w2005_2006/maria_Goldsworthy/works.html&gt;.

“Andy Goldsworthy.” Home. Springshare, 23 Oct. 2012. Web. 17 Nov. 2012. <http://libguides.caulfieldgs.vic.edu.au/content.php?pid=391018&gt;.

Goldsworthy, Andy. Time. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2000. Print.

Goldsworthy, Andy, and David Craig. Arch. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1999. Print.

Goldsworthy, Andy, Steve Chettle, Paul Nesbitt, and Andrew Humphries. Andy Goldsworthy, sheepfolds. London: Michael Hue-Williams Fine Art, 1996. Print.

Goldsworthy, Andy, and Jerry L. Thompson. Wall: at Storm King. New York: H.N. Abrams, 2000. Print.

Goldsworthy, Andy. Andy Goldsworthy: a collaboration with nature.. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1990. Print.

Goldsworthy, Andy, and Terry Friedman. Hand to earth: Andy Goldsworthy sculpture, 1976-1990. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1993. Print.

Hard-workings of Nature and Life

The colour red means a lot to Andy Goldsworthy because it represents the origin of life, in the video as well. Andy Goldsworthy believes that stone and the earth are red due to their element of iron properties. Therefore, red could leads to life as the red blood in our body. The reason I bring this out is that I really agree with Andy Goldsworthy’s talk of the colour red. the beauty of red has a tight connection to life; and the relationship between life and nature is one of the most important part that Andy gets his approach. However, red also leads a likely sense of death. This is how both life and nature works. “Beauty does not avoid difficulty but hovers dangerously above it – like walking on thin ice,” said Andy Goldsworthy. Some of Andy Goldsworthy’s works have failed many times with hundreds or thousands times of try. Nevertheless, it is those failures and tries that motivate Andy Goldsworthy to produce great masterpieces.

As you can see in the video, Andy Goldsworthy demonstrates different used of materials to reach the appearance of River and Tides. For example, there are ice, wood knots, stones, sands, and sticks. The shape of river and tides on ice is a tremendously difficult job to do because it is slippery and freezing; simultaneously, Andy have to patiently build up the sculpture which collapses many times. The concept of River and tides is no difference than most of other artworks from Andy Goldsworthy, that is, the connection between movement, time, change, life, and nature. The curved moving line gives an uncertainty as it is how nature is. The bigger the curved is, the slower movement it visually looks. The River and Tides also refers to the liveliness of nature behave as our original source of everything. For example, The “Stone River” in Stanford University also has a shape of river and tides to make connection with nature, life, and living things that live in the nature. With each failure, Andy Goldsworthy learns more about stone from every failure. To work outdoor is not as easy and fun as it looks. As a result, Andy Goldsworthy has an outstanding endurance and patience to be exceptional.

Early morning calm, Derwent Water, Cumbria

For the first time I saw this image, I thought there is an actual shape of a spider web object standing on the surface of the lake. I did the same thing at least 10 times until I read the texts below from the book written by Andy Goldsworthy, I finally acknowledge that this is actually one of the greatest masterpiece from Andy Goldsworthy from my perspection. This masterpiece by Andy Goldsworthy uses lots of knotweeds to hold on the lake surface and make a semicircle measured from the surface of the lake to form an imagined focal point. The reason only making half of the spider web object is because the water would naturally create a complete reflections of the object itself that would look like a complete creation. I really like the idea of “Early morning calm” because I have never ever thought about this and this is why I think Any Goldsworthy could make such an innovative art by approaching the raw nature. In fact, the object would also look very three-dimensional as the surface of water would reflect all the landscapes that are surrounded. In addition, Andy Goldsworthy has gotten the right place to build this creation because if the location is too small and many tall trees are surrounded, the reflection would not be so obvious and clean. No matter indoor or outdoor, countryside or urban, the main thesis that Andy Goldsworthy wants to bring out to the world is that nature has potential to do a lot of things more than people can imagine.

Andy Goldsworthy- One of the Qualified Spokesperson for Nature

I am impressed by Andy Goldsworthy’s innovative approach to sculpture work in all different types (farm, snow, forest, etc…) of landscape and his consciousness and sensitivity to the environment. The five-year project of Sheepfolds is a public art, environment, landscape mission. Andy Goldsworthy, the globally known sculptor, planned to build in span in the period of 1996 to 2000 and “arise from the selection of the Northern Arts Region to host the UK Year of the Visual Arts in 1996, with a programme including projects on a large scale.” The project of Sheepfolds is Cumbria Country Council’s main countrywide sculpture project created by Andy Goldsworthy. It is determined to be sculptures that are going to be combined with the farming history and eternally placed in the natural landscape. In fact, the reason of Andy Goldsworthy making one hundred sheepfolds all around the world is to make connections with the landscape and the history of the location it is settled, and more importantly, the most of his previous creations as he remains his style of art. The Sheepfolds are objects that are not isolated; they are all in common by the originally people’s life in the particular farm. The relationship between the people’s life in farm and the nature is what Andy Goldsworthy is trying to get to comprehend more about. The relationship between farm life and the nature is the similar power and force that stream through a single tree; a simple river; the beautiful landscape, and the way people work, live, and die. To me, the Sheepfolds project provides designers/artists an enormous range of prospects to develop and apply ideas in mostly dramatically huge places of landscape that designers/artists could make a lot of connection between them. Sheepfolds is built up of stones. The visual characteristics of a stone that most people see are heavy and unwieldy. Oppositely, stones have values that most people think they do not have; that is, “it is flowing, moving, changing, and malleable.” The wall, build up by the stones, has an appearance of movement. The wall will have an appearance of a curvy line placing and moving through the landscape if we looking down from a distance of height. “The walls in the sheepfolds project that have moved so dramatically over time that they are leaning this way and another, both visually and physically move through the landscape.” In fact, the appearance and characteristic of the stone make the trees as an unity; in other words, they look like a complete one masterpiece. The proposition came out of Andy Goldsworthy’s perceptions and compassions about Cumbria which suggest the strength, energy, and scale of the project. The material of the sheepfold is basically all large stone to create the appearance, but the form is seemingly as a shape of circle. However, Andy Goldsworthy does not ever think of this creation as circles shape. In my opinion, the reason I admire the sheepfolds is because of the beauty it creates within the space. The Sheepfolds project does not provide a lot of empty space within; however, that is the gorgeousness of the way the sheepfolds focus the space. “The sheepfolds are not so much objects of spaces which are charged by the work and the sheepfold combined. When I gather leaves together and make what you would call a circle of leaves, for me it is just a concentration of colors. But many of the sheepfolds are not circular, and those which are circular are often much more regular than my normal aesthetic.” In my opinion, Andy Goldsworthy has a different logic, concept, and prospect of thinking; in depth, Andy Goldsworthy think deeper in nature elements. Andy invents many innovative methods and directions of using and implementing raw materials to a fresh new prospect of a thought of a normal thinking of a normal human being. Andy Goldsworthy expects all the uncertainty because he thinks that the uncertainty is the main motivation and energy to keep his open minded thinking. If all the coming matters, affairs, and inspirations are literal, actual, and certain, the creation he has created would not have been so greatful and successful. When I design a project, I will first think of the history on the specific area(s) and see what I could take out from it. Then, I will make connections between the history background of the site to my background, design style, and directional destination. Therefore, I also love the way Andy Goldsworthy always bring in local backgrounds and on-site histories to make close connections to echo every element and principle together.

Final Thoughts

Doing this research on Bruce Mau has been an eye opener. He was a humorous man with an optimistic view in the design world. The thing that was amazing was how he started from the bottom up and did his own thing. In the design world, I wouldn’t say I’m completely like him, but I can relate. By researching deeper into him personally and his work, I can say that I also don’t like to be constraining in design. Design should be about freedom with limitless result, it should not have a limit that ties designers down. Reading each point of the manifesto I became really intrigues. Although I’m not yet stuck on a challenging project for school, I find that he’s there in front of me telling these points. It also feels like he’s that voice in the back of my head telling me what to do when I’m stuck or just there reminding me in the near future what to do. Everything about his manifesto made me think and laugh at the way he defines each point. This is why I love it. A person should not be so strict in their teaching or when they are doing something, it makes things boring. A person should be having a little humor like Bruce Mau, it’ll make everything easy and fun to do. This manifesto influenced me greatly, every point suggested to me to think further down the road when designing. Expand my ideas, do crazy design that most likely not related to the project I’m doing. Another thing I would like to point out that Mau constantly talks about is questions. Asking questions is the best way to help designers solve problem “Why did we create this, what’s the reason behind it?” Agreeing to Mau’s statement “there is never a stupid question”, the only thing stupid is by not asking questions. If questions are not being asked, there is no way a problem can be solved. Come to think of it, I also hate when others make the person asking the question feel dumb. Like seriously, has that person never asked a dumb question in his or her entire life?

Mau’s optimistic personality along with his innovation in sustainable design does get me thinking. He mentions that design designs our world, which is true. The design in our world can make it look ugly or make it look pretty. However, Mau took this idea to a whole new level. Designing the Massive Change Exhibit in Vancouver give visitor some eye opening situation happening around us. When he plasters big words and pictures on the wall, he wants to tell and show the viewers what we’re missing. He thinks that most people that want sustainable things didn’t look deep enough; they just look around it. His way of showing people his design is unique, some love it, and some hate it. This is all part of design, designers can’t satisfy everyone.

Again, this research has taught me a great deal, do not be afraid to try and experiment. Treat our sketchbook like a bible; sketch everything, jot all our ideas out. Don’t be afraid to ask stupid questions, have fun with our design, and show people what we can design and what it can do for others.

Influence + Design + Role

Using typography to its limit (or as much as possible) Mau creates the thoughts of people who constantly ask “How can we make our world be more green and create sustainable products to help Mother Nature.” Big words plaster in our everyday lives where it grabs our attention, from small coke cans to commercial building walls. These “advertisement” if you can call it that gives people ideas of how to be more careful on things we use and things we throw out. His influence in the design world is great, from architecture, landscape, exhibition and interior design. Some people may think that graphic design is JUST designing products for consumers. However, if you take Mau for example he uses design to produce a future for the current and the next generations. To Mau, design means desirable outcomes. In his belief, he thinks most who hears the word design it is describing something expensive (such as designer bags).  However, listening to them more closely, the term is being used more intellectually. Such as designing events and process and the outcome of it all is something we desire. His role as a designer is very simple; Look at the problem, show solutions and have THEM fix it, a package for them to unpack and they do the job. It other words “I (Mau) work very hard in helping you, now in return you should work harder for me”

Philosophies and theories

In late 1990s, Mau wrote an article titled “An Incomplete Manifesto for Growth” was a speech at an international design conference. He presented forty-three rules to create a good and meaningful design:

http://umcf.umn.edu/events/past/04nov-manifesto.pdf

These forty-three rules or philosophies and theories helped him and his designers get through projects that were challenging or for those who were stuck. He believed that some designers are always thinking about “Will this work? What happens if that won’t work? Oh, I’ll just keep thinking till I find the right solution then create it” Mau feels that random experimentation and creativity works best with guidance. It helps designer to create something step by step to make their life much easier to do things instead of doing whatever they want. Which I believe can go haywire because our minds will usually drift off to something else when we get tire of doing one thing the entire day. He also thinks that every designer should try to copy others work and to forget if it looks good or not. One of the principle of designing starts with asking stupid fundamental questions, learning to look at things differently and stepping back. People think asking stupid question will make them look naïve; however, these stupid questions can really help designers solve something that’s very challenging and problematic. Till this day every new or old designer uses this manifesto to guide them through the challenges they have to face. Mau’s theory is that design can be potential in helping our nation and other countries to solve problems currently and in the future. Of course the design has to look good to people to like it and to “lure” them in into reading and thinking about the problems that we humans have cause. His effort in these designs is to try and improve the welfare of humanity.

Style? Movement?

Mau technically don’t have a personal “design style”. The style he uses to design his projects is taking his clients product’s meaning and turn it into a design. Showcasing the reason behind the product before others looks into it.

When Mau was researching for his design for Massive Change he found that everyday people were using design to solve their problems; such as transportation, education and housing. Mau interpretive that design is changing the world, design is not about aesthetic anymore but more of our everyday life. Which means that we use “design” to plan our way of life, as mention above transportation–how to avoid traffic jam, how to get to a certain place faster. In his late 40s he widens his projects to dealing with the world. He discussed that the design principle can be apply to global issues, such as poverty stricken areas where education and food is at its lowest. The exhibit showcased a control mobile wheelchair called iBot design by his friend Dean Kamen, low-cost laptop under $150 for children in Africa and numerous devices that purified water or replace missing body parts and environmental friendly structure. For this exhibit he wants to tell the world that there are lots of problems and challenges around us and will find the answer if we look deeper into it.