I have always enjoyed art. I appreciate its aesthetic qualities and its ability to make me think. I thoroughly enjoy spending hours upon hours at art museums looking at all the various pieces, and I have had quite a bit of experience with art throughout my jr. high and high school years, which was why I thought this project (writing project 3) was going to be one of the easier ones of the semester. I, however, was mistaken. When I first met my sculpture, Daimaru XV, I saw something in it that intrigued me. I was very excited to begin the challenge of getting to know my sculpture. It proved to be much more of a challenge than I had originally expected, though, considering I couldn’t find much information on that sculpture or the sculptor.
I didn’t have the opportunity to choose which option to do for this writing project, but I believe if I had the opportunity, I would have picked option two. This option looked like the easier of the two options at first, but as the analyzing and drafting process began, I realized this option was going to be more challenging than anticipated. I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to write a personal letter to this sculpture and include a description of it, along with observations and reflections, and use rhetorical language.
I began the writing process the same way as the previous two writing projects did, with a statement of purpose. I was sure to include how I was going to go about composing my letter. I wanted to be very clear in my statement of purpose, stating how this project is different from the others and how I need to keep this in mind throughout the writing process.
There were some problems that came up throughout my writing process. The main problem that came up was how I was going to write a letter to the sculpture and still make it sound like it was an analytical piece. I looked at some of the letters from the previous semester to get a better idea of what was exactly being asked of me, and I found that the letters really were just that. They didn’t sound too formal or analytical. They simply read like reflection letters.
My drafting process was short, but it was really helpful. My peer didn’t focus on the letter aspect as much as help me with the performance part of my project. We worked on finding the best way to move around my sculpture as I’m doing my dramatic reading. She also helped me find a good pose to go along with the performance part of my grade. The pose, though simple, goes along with the symbolism in the sculpture of how smooth life can go sometimes. I found this part of the sculpture the most peaceful and the part of life that I have the most trouble finding. This sculpture helped me see that even though there is chaos, there is also a time where life can be calm and going "as planned."
I’ve been spending quite a bit of time with you over the last two weeks. I was always moving, trying to find a deeper meaning within you from all the various angles. I do have some experience with art and attempting to find inner meaning within art. However, I do not have much experience with your type of art. When I first met you, I was very intrigued by you. I was able to go home and research you, and there was where I found your name means “great circle.” Sadly, this was about all I could find out about you. It is very hard to find information about you on the internet, something that is very surprising at this day in age. We have had our share of time together and have gotten to know each other fairly well.
As we have bonded over the last couple of weeks, I have become comfortable enough with you to call you Daimaru. This, however is not your true name. Your creator, your father, Michael Todd, gave you the name Daimaru XV. This does indeed mean that you have at least 14 additional siblings. Glad I’m not you. You were created in 1981 and you now call the Sculpture Garden of the Sheldon Museum of Art home. Your creator, Michael Todd, was born here in Nebraska, which could be why you were brought back here to live. His fascination with Japanese calligraphy is greatly reflected in you. He has created many great works throughout his career, you of course being one of the best. He wisely chose to make you out of lacquered steel. This was a very considerate of him, considering he was simply thinking of how to make you withstand the harshness of the environmental conditions. However, the steel he created you out of has taken a bit of a beating through the thirty some years you have been out in the environment, but you still stand strong and unfailing. Mike definitely knew what he was doing when he created you.
When you and I first met, I wasn’t very open to you. I didn’t want to take the time to get to know you and really see what you all had to say. Sure, I noticed the outer, aesthetic qualities you possessed, but that’s really as far as I went in terms of trying to get to know you. I wasn’t willing to accept that you could be more than just some random pieces of steel that were welded together and called art. Now, though, since I stepped outside of my box and got to know you, I realize you are so much more than I could ever have imagined. Our journey had a rough beginning, as I’m sure you remember all too well.
The first thing I really noticed about you was your bottom portion. Your visual hierarch
y is definitely reversed if you think about it, because the first thing everyone looks at is your bottom half. You have a lot of things going on down there! There is quite a bit of repetition of shapes throughout your lower portion. There is only one shape that you only have one of, and that is your most organic element. There are plenty of rectangular, circular, and wavy shapes that are repeated two or three times throughout your “body.” The organic shape, that vaguely reminds me of a pool of water, is the only one of its kind throughout you. This truly intrigued me, therefore I came over to find out more about you and figure out why this was.
One day when I was spending some quality time with you, some lady who was taking children around on tours referred to you as a “circle of life.” This description was something I found particularly insightful and, as I pondered it, completely true. Mike’s intention was to demonstrate associations with the universe and imposing harmony on chaos through you, and I believe he accomplished this with great ease. You do symbolize a “circle of life” in my eyes. The way you are almost completely smooth and almost perfect along your top portion and then go to complete and utter chaos towards your bottom half is very symbolic to me about how life is for most people. Even when things are going smooth and the way we want to in life, there is still something that gets thrown in that changes all the plans and throws a dent into life. You found a way to symbolize that through your upper portion, where you almost make a perfect half circle, but then all the sudden there is an object protruding from you, completely throwing off the perfection and the smoothness, which happens oh so often in life.
I thoroughly enjoyed your company over the last couple weeks. I feel like we got to know each other very well. You raised many questions within me about what exactly Mike was trying to accomplish when he created you. Now, because imitation is the highest form of flattery, before I depart for the final time, I am going to join you in symbolizing one of the calmer parts of life. Although I know I don’t have you figured out to the fullest, I do believe I have part of your deeper meaning figured out. You challenged me and I appreciate it greatly. Thank you for the challenge. I’ll treasure the time we spent together for quite some time.
Jamie Jo
In these modern times, art can be just about whatever we want it to be.
