Date of Award

12-2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Department

Visual Arts

Committee Chair/Advisor

Valerie Zimany

Committee Member

Todd McDonald

Committee Member

Beth Lauritis

Abstract

Although the sculptures of Material Entropy are not directly anthropomorphic, the corporeality of the materials is accentuated in rendering the entropic state of our ephemeral bodies. We often avoid thoughts concerning the anatomical systems that function beneath our skin as they reveal our mortality to be tangible. Clay is initially manipulated as a soft material, but once fired it gains permanence and loses the ongoing malleability of soft sculpture. Latex and fibers have been utilized in conjunction with ceramic in order to reveal the tension between dichotomies such as hard versus soft or internal versus external. The use of pantyhose as a sculptural material subverts their intended utility as objects designed for the purpose of concealing and containing the body. Soft sculpture challenges the stability and structure typically associated with sculpture due to its elasticity and innate amorphousness. The vulnerability of this formlessness reflects the fragility of our bodies and serves as an interplay between levels of material impermanence.

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