IP Proposal

My IP will be similar to a natural process – I will design a few fiction and non fictional species of plants and animals few have heard of and sculpt them in paper. I plan to study systems, physical characteristics, adaptations, etc. and I will begin to gain an understanding of how flora and fauna function together as a physical being in the world. When I study and illustrate specimens I spend enough time observing and getting to know them. I begin to form a relationship with them and from there they develop a personality. The reason I want to pursue this subject of nature is because I want to establish a lost connection with mankind and the natural world. On paper I unfold their story and they begin to come to life. Paper is a beautiful medium – its delicate, eloquent and welds many possibilities as a blank canvas. I use paper to draw beautiful illustrations and now I want to take the next step and bring my drawings to life combining 2D with 3D forms. To accomplish this goal, I will be using paper to sculpt a large installation with a combination of paper pulp casting for 3D and wet-fold origami for 2D and some 3D forms.

The soft pulp texture can influence a sense of delicacy and fragility among my creatures and maintain individuality through a unique yet familiar medium everyone recognizes. Texture and detail are acknowledged only by a skilled and careful hand that spend their life getting to know them. Some paper pieces will be handcrafted by traditional wet-fold, cut and glue, specifically thin leaves or stems of the flora. The cast paper is composed of shredded recycled paper, Cotton liners, Calcium Carbonate, and water. The fibers of the cotton is to intertwine with the paper fibers while the Calcium Carbonate is to help harden the pulp to make it last much longer. The pulp is applied to a latex mold, casted from clay animal sculptures I create, and let it air dry before sliding them out. Paper is a relatively cheap material where I can find scavenge the recycling bins for, while Calcium Carbonate I can obtain at a Health food store and Cotton liners require me to order for a relatively cheap price. The expensive portion of the process is the molds. The larger detailed pieces will be casted from a rubber mold while everything else pieces will be cast in plaster molds. If I managed to have my paper origin from recycling bins mixed with cheap cotton linter, then I can easily afford this project, but I plan on applying for grants and funding from the Society of Art Students group.

The final piece will be a large mural-like installation displayed on a large gallery wall or even in a museum with dim lighting to emphasize the contrast of the white paper pulp. It will be dedicated to the celebration of biodiversity in the animal and plant kingdoms. It will be a creative and artistic display of flora and fauna many people of the world have never heard before. Paper is a beautiful medium – it is delicate, eloquent and welds many possibilities as a blank canvas. As a cheap and easily assessable receptacle for sharing thoughts and ideas, paper is a medium where ideas ascent because it begins as nothing, but in my hands it becomes something.