432 Hz LPF cloud
2023
Paper bags, flour, salt, water
Conception
Material Study
In my independent sculpture studio senior year, I began this sculptural project to create a floating structure that could encapsulate the audiovisual senses. At the time, I was studying virtual reality devices for my art history thesis and researching light artist James Turrell for an art history seminar. The way that VR and Turrell’s work envelop the viewer’s senses and play with the viewer’s relationship to space inspired me to do something similar. I initially imagined this piece as a sleek black bubbly form that people could stick their heads in and be enveloped by the sound of the white noise I listen to while I sleep called “432 Hz LPF” within a pitch black cavern. Creating such a structure with the materials and techniques I had proved to be very difficult and would end up pushing me to take the project in new directions.
After considering various ways to go about creating a large and lightweight yet rigid structure, I decided to pursue a paper mache method because of its cost effectiveness. I experimented with different materials and adhesives on regular balloons and settled on using Trader Joe’s paper bags and an adhesive paste made of a mixture of flour, water, wood glue, and salt. Other tested materials included plaster strips (too heavy and expensive) and paper mache with regular paper and an Elmers glue mix (too weak). After I found success using paper bags, I decided to test out plastic bags to see if they could add another dimension to this project. I created a method for creating structure out of the flimsy material by ironing many layers together, cutting it into strips, and hot gluing the strips together. While I was quite pleased with how the plastic bags turned out on this scale, this method was too time and resource intensive to scale up to what I desired for this piece.
Preliminary sketch
Construction
I created a large structure out of balloons of various sizes, from 12” to 36”, and spent weeks covering it in strips of paper bags. Once the exterior was complete, I popped the balloons and removed them. While the structure held up, it was very fragile. I spent a lot of time laying more material in weak spots and explored using other materials like spray foam to reinforce the structure, but ultimately due to time constraints I decided to abandon creating an immersive internal space. I was still quite pleased with how the sheer size, light weight, and paper bag visuals confront the viewer’s relation to the material and its corresponding branding. I was able to hang the piece at eye level using the paper bag handles glued together in chains. Throughout this process, I had to repeatedly learn new techniques to develop my methodology and adapt to the circumstances in order to create a complete project by the deadline.
