WP3: Statement of Purpose

The main purpose of this project is to describe the construction and appearance of Arietta II and to reflect on the effects of those things. The description of the sculpture and my reflections on it are to be presented with a distinguishable structure within a letter. Additionally, the second purpose is to communicate my letter directly towards Arietta II. This will be done by reading my leader aloud to the sculpture.

The letter will be posted online along with being read aloud. Although it is in the letter format, it still needs to be formal. However, it should read differently than just a paper, because it is directed to a specific object. What it is addressing, Arietta II, is also what the letter’s topic will be focused on. I need to focus on structuring my paper as a letter, and not like the other projects we have done. The second form of communication is verbally. Both pathos and ethos are both naturally involved when speaking. This will call for practice to perfect my tone, facial expressions, hand gestures, etc.

The main audience of this project is very unique compared to the others. My communication will be directed primarily at Arietta II. This is difficult because it is an inanimate object, which cannot actually hear what I am saying. However, we are to pretend that these sculptures are animate and need to convey emotion to them just as we would to others. Again this emotion can only come as a result of my facial expressions, my gestures, and the tone of my voice. It may be helpful if I can relate the sculpture to someone I know personally and address it accordingly.

My secondary audience is my teacher and classmates. As the other projects, virtually anyone could possibly read it online. Also, anybody walking by at the time of my letter reading could hear my letter. When I read the letter, towards Arietta, I will need to be sure to articulate my words and speak plenty loudly so the human audience can hear what I am saying. I will also have to captivate my audience, demanding their attention, because due to the presentation being outside, it is likely there will be a multitude of distractions.

Because this project is unique to anything I have done before, it comes with some new concerns. My biggest concern is with the reading of the letter. Unfortunately, I might shy away from the emotional expression I will practice ahead of time. Since I may not particularly feel as passionate about what I am reading as I should portray, it will take a little acting, and drama was never a skill of mine. Also, I am concerned that my actual writing will read more like a paper than a letter. To counteract this, I need to keep in mind the main purpose of this project.

The best outcome of this project would be to communicate the importance of Arietta II. Along with that, I would like to explain to my audience what the sculpture represents. An additional positive outcome is learning the techniques and process for communicating verbally and practicing it. I would really like to captivate my audience, so I can share with them the amazing starling act that Arietta II depicts in sculpture form.

WP3: Pre-writing 4

Arietta II is the title of the sculpture. Arietta is a musical term that means a short aria. This is piece of music that is performed, usually, with only one voice accompanied by an orchestra. It is said to have very expressive melody, which includes a lot of movement. It is commonly referenced to be a part of an opera. Arietta II not only moves in the wind, but is about the incredible movement of Starlings.

Starlings are birds native to Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. They have been brought to North America, Hawaii, and New Zealand. The feature starlings are known for is their exquisite behavior when they are getting ready to roost. During the day they stay in small feeding groups, spreading out to feed off the surrounding land. At dusk, the bigger males act as leaders as they find the roosting spot of the night. Slowly, the smaller feeding groups combine as one large swarm. Hundreds of thousands of starlings come together in a swirling cloud-like formation. They look like black waves moving through the sky.



This movement is incredible because it can include up to one million starlings, and they never collide. Apparently to avoid collision, each starling is to keep their eye on seven other starlings. By traveling in this huge mass, it keeps them warm and safe. As they move, they maneuver into social rankings or positioning. The higher ranked males get the center of the roosting area for the night, where it is warmest and most safe. As the rankings decrease, the starlings get farther from the center. In the morning they leave in turns to feed in their smaller groups, only to return to the huge mass again at night.

Arietta II being the title reflects the focus on movement and accompaniment of the starlings in flight. The actually shape of the sculpture portrays a vortex, similar to the starling formation. The welding shows the attachment and unity of the birds in the sculpture, analogous to the cooperation and togetherness of the starlings. Catherine Ferguson found the starlings’ astonishing act and has made a representation of such movement, in a solid steel sculpture.

WP3: Pre-writing 3

Arietta II is made out of steel. Steel is a metal and therefore is heavy and strong. The object of Arietta II is a bunch of birds, which are the very opposite of steel. Birds' feathers are very light and their bones are hollow, resulting in them being light and weak. By contrasting the characteristics of the steel, being strong and heavy, with the lightness and weakness of the birds, it emphasizes the birds' characteristics. It is similar to a juxtaposition, being two opposing things are presented side to side, but yet more than that because the characteristics of the steel make up the birds in the sculpture, which have the opposing characteristics.

The steel birds are welded together. The spots of the welding are not hidden. In fact, they are on the outside of the sculpture, not even attempted to be hidden on the inside. This points out the attachment, and togetherness of the birds in the sculpture. Starlings, which are the birds this sculpture is portraying, fly together in these huge masses. By working together in the huge masses, the birds are able to stay safe and warm.

Although, being made out of steel makes the sculpture strong and sturdy, it moves within the wind. You can see some movement at the top of the sculpture when the wind is blowing. Because all the birds are welded together, they all move together, which is reminiscent of the way the starlings move or swarm together. Also, the sculpture is much bigger at the top, where it is swaying, than it is at the bottom. This makes the sculpture's look as a whole unbalanced; it is top-heavy.

Because Arietta II is placed outdoors, it endures the weather. This results in it appearing worn and rusted, but still strong as a whole. Starlings face all the difficulties of the weather, such as scarcity of food and cold winters, but by working as a whole they are able to survive it. Another result of being placed outside is the shadows on and inside of the statue. This would not happen if Arietta II was indoors, where lighting is consistent. With the lighting of the sculpture changing, it appears as if the sculpture is changing or moving.

WP3: Pre-writing 2

Arietta II is a painted steel structure made by Catherine Ferguson by 1998. It is made to look like birds in the shape of an upside down pyramid, but with a rectangular shape. The birds are all touching each other connected by head, tail, or wings. It has been painted black and is placed in front of the Sheldon Art Museum. The two sides that are wider than the other two both contain three prominent bird bodies, while the two smaller sides each contain part of a bird body but are mostly made up of wings.

The birds are not all pointed in the same direction, as to be moving around in a circular motion; rather their placement is random as to which direction they are facing. This represents the unpredictability of the birds or of nature as a whole. However, they all are tilted slightly upward towards the sky. This makes the vector of attention the sky. This would not be as effective if the structure were placed indoors, but because it is outdoors the birds tilted upwards literally points to the sky. The sky is a key place of the birds’ habitat. Because it is where they spend much of their time and how they do most of their traveling, birds are a common thought with thinking of the sky. Likewise, the sky is a common thought when thinking of birds.

Another result of the sculpture being placed outside is natural lighting. The view of the sculpture will be slightly different from a nice, sunny day and a gray, cloudy day. When it is sunny the black sculpture is very bold because its colors contrast with the bright blue sky, the green grass, and the light pavement that surrounds it. Opposite of this, on a dreary day the black will not be as bold because its surroundings will be gray and darker as well. Similar to this, birds come in a variety of colors and have a variety of effects on people. Some birds are brightly colored and sing cheerful songs, while other birds are black and only seem to squawk. Also, birds can be associated with happiness and also negative feelings, such as fear. Often, spring time is thought of as a happy time after winter, and the birds’ singing are associated with spring time. On the other hand, a grackle is seen as mean and seeing a raven or a falcon soaring in the sky provokes a sense of fear and is can be associated with death.

The birds all touching is necessary to make the structure stand, but it also makes them appear as a team. It is common to see birds flying in a v-formation in the sky. They do this so the front person will take the burden of some of the wind off the rest of them. They gain quite a bit by working as a team. However, because they are not placed all in the same direction of movement, the viewer is reminded that they do not always work together. Much like nature as a whole, sometimes cooperation may be best, but there’s also a lot of competition within the team for individual gain.

WP3: Pre-writing 1

The most experience I've had with art is in an art class in eighth grade. I remember using markers, chalk, pencils, and paint for the projects we used. We also learned about various artists and art terms and strategies. For example, we learned about hue, brightness, and saturation. However, most of the facts about art periods and strategies I do not remember. I enjoyed the class a lot and was interested in it, but I didn't take any further art classes because I didn't see myself as artistic. The main problem I had in it was that I never felt like my work was good enough. Therefore, it took me too long to get things done because I was always correcting my work.

I think it would be really helpful, when looking at and analyzing art, to know about the different eras of art. Each one has different goals, techniques, ideas, and events of the time that affect the art. Since most of the time when you view art a placard with the artist and time period displayed on it, you could see what period of art it was created in. The artists name might provide for where it came from, also narrowing down the art movement of the time it was created. By knowing those, it would add an element of context to the creation of the piece, and likewise give incite to what the argument may be.

Likewise, I think it would be helpful to know of the famous artists and their respective styles or techniques. Although, there are way too many artists to know about each one, especially because some only may only have one piece while others have many, the popular artists are the ones that are most influential to the general art movements. By knowing about the artists known for which styles or techniques, I would be able to compare the artist of a certain piece to the style of the artist known for that technique. This could also provide an insightful context to which what the artist was trying to argue, and that could be added to or compared to what the piece is actually arguing.