Project #1 - Planets

Artist Statement:

I have always been interested in space and what we are truly surrounded by. Though our world seems vast to us as tiny people, we are confined on Earth. A small number of people leave and go to space, however, they always return. We are limited to our world and I constantly wonder what else there is out there to learn about. We have done some research, but not enough in my opinion. I wonder if someday we will be able to inhabit another planet and what that will mean for our future. Movies such as Star Wars interest me as humans and aliens have come together and populated so much of space. There is a mass learning of different planets which comes with new species and cultures. 

My planets are not perfect circles. I believe we do not know enough about space and represented this through the planet's shaping. I made my planets imperfect circles because how can every object be perfect if we do not accurately know enough information about space itself? I included all the planets in our solar system. We revolve around the sun, which is why all are balanced on top. Each orb is made from a different material because different components make up these planets. Various amounts of gasses, solids, and liquids come together to make up our planets, which is why all the materials are unique. As I describe below, each planet is made of a material that I associated with it. I was heavily inspired by my curiosity of space. I enjoy the concept of learning what we are surrounded by and wonder what else there is out there to learn about. Black holes are most intriguing as we do not know what they do or lead to. The planets and sun are placed atop a hidden black hole. Maybe we have already gone through one before and are simply unaware. The mystery of what space beholds for us never fails to keep me wondering. 

Below I have each planet (+ the sun) and why I created them with specific materials:

Sun - Layered wood. I carved circles from wood, layered, then painted them yellow. The sun is circle-ish but not perfect as I stated before that not all objects are perfect due to our lack of space knowledge. I promise I do not believe any planets are flat haha. All planets are gathered around the sun, as this is what they orbit in our solar system. My sun is painted yellow so that more viewers are able to grasp that the base is a sun and the planets are balanced on top. 

Mercury - Glass. Blue and yellow rods were used to create the circular bead of glass for this saturated planet. Mercury has a solid surface and looks similar to the moon. The colors I melted made some gray bands, which are similar to our moons coloring. The bead is smooth and solid, as is the real planet. The swirls and darker areas represent how the surface is a bit rocky and scratched up in sections from colliding asteroids. 

Mars - Brick. Mars is red and so is brick. I sanded down the brick until I was satisfied with the shape. Mars is covered in basalt, a type of volcanic rock. Brick is made of red clay, which has a rocky texture. I felt this material was most appropriate for this planet. Even the small pieces of extra clay and fragments in the brick resemble how Mars really appears. This planet is the most natural to me and touching/looking at my orb feels natural as well with the rock-like appearance.

Venus - Wood. This planet is a yellow-orange color, which complements the wood type I used. The layers within the wood allude to rocky patches seen on the planet's surface. Wood is dry, as is the planet Venus. The atmosphere is thick, as is the wood. You cannot mold or move around this orb without using tools, alluding to the hard and hostile environment Venus provides. Taurus is the zodiac that goes with this planet, which is an Earth sign; Earth reminds me of planet materials and greenery, which is similar to trees as in wooden structures. 

Earth - Nails. On Earth, we as humans are destructive. Not only have we polluted the entire planet, our world is suffering every day because we are not doing enough to fix what we have done. This planet is specifically odd to look at and difficult to hold. It hurts to look at as well. We are also the most evolved in our solar system, that we know of, and have continued to create and build more structures. Nails remind me of this constant creation of new products, but also the destruction of ourselves. 

Neptune - Clay. The images we have taken thus far of Neptune appear soft and round to me, which is why I chose this material. I was able to smooth the surface down and clay gives the appearance of being soft yet moldable. The middle is carved out making the planet light and airy as a gas planet. Neptune does have a few small rings, however they are difficult to see. I chose brown and black wire to blend with the clay better so they do not stick out as much. 

Uranus - Plastic wrap. Pictures I have seen of this planet are bluish-white with little texture. Uranus looks extremely soft and delicately layered to me. The material I used allowed for a soft, airy feeling to be created when viewing this piece. The clear wrap is layered, so a whitish effect is given off. We are still able to see the layers, similar to the ones on the real planet, as there are many sheets around this orb. Uranus is the coldest planet, which is why I chose this material to convey this cool feeling. The ice allows for the blue coloring of this planet. There is ice in the atmosphere, which perfectly ties in with the material coloring.   

Saturn - Aluminum foil. Gas planets are light and airy, which is represented if you pick up this planet. The shiny reflections from the foil are representing how the outermost layer is made of glittering ice crystals. The gasses are layered, which is why there are multiple layers of aluminum and especially the rings outside made of wire. The wires are colorful to make them really stick out, as Saturn is known best for the rings. 

Jupiter - Caulk. As the biggest and roundest planet, I needed to use a material that would allow me to form that would hold such a large amount. Upon looking closely, you can see the fine lines wrapping around my orb similar to how they are on the real planet. If you hold Jupiter in front of a bright light, you are able to see the layering and swirls on the inside, as we can see on the outside of this gas planet. The swirls on Jupiter are made from clouds of gas; On Earth, our clouds are white as represented in the clearish-white coloring of my planet. 

Pluto - Silicone. I had excess product from the molds of our last project, so I cut down some of the silicone into a circle. Pluto has become too far to be considered a planet now, which is why I used extra materials. This planet is considered an excess and not part of our solar system anymore. Too far and too small, we have had difficulty reaching and studying what this planet holds. Pluto is super cold, which complements the bluish-green color of the molding. This piece is small and bumpy to represent the rockyness and size of this dwarf planet.