“Sibling Rivalry” Nathalie Miebach

Weatherwise, Otherwise

I work in the Dalton gallery as a gallery assistant , and because of that I usually get to see how the pieces are installed and sometimes even meet the artist. Nathalie Miebach’s “Sibling Rivalry” caught my eye immediately. I got to help her install her piece in the space, and talk to her about her work. The more she described her work and inspiration behind it, the more I grew to appreciate the layers of meaning she placed in her work. She constructed the racehorses, ships, and  dominoes in her pieces into a visual representation of hurricane data. Her work to me represent the intersection between science an art. Science has never been one of my strong suits, but Meibach’s work helps me to understand and make sense of the weather data that I can relate to.

“Sibling Rivalry” Nathalie Miebach

Bruce Bobick’s “Patch for the Hole in the Ozone Layer” also caught my eye because it is this beautiful watercolor piece of a scene of penguins in their habitat, but with a out of place element. The work highlights the contrasting beauty of the environment with the overlay of the ugly reality.  It was a really great way to catch the attention of the viewer. I love the exhibit because it shows that climate change is not just a scientific problem with only scientific way to respond. Art has the power to touch and capture the attention of people that science might not be able to.

“Patch for the Hole in the Ozone Layer” by Bruce Bobick

The Finished Product

I started off the 3-D project with more than a little trepidation. I am more used to, and comfortable with a 2-D medium because for me it is easier to manipulate items in a 2-D space than a 3-D space. I was originally inspired by the Dome of the Rock and the Pantheon, but as I went along I became more inspired by the arches in the Agnes Scott symbol and triangular shapes. I knew I wanted to construct more of a building rather than a sculpture because I tend to work more from concrete ideas and objects, and the concept of a sculpture just seemed too abstract. But, I found myself having to let go more and more from the original plan because measuring is not one of my strengths. One of the biggest problems that I ran into was measuring and cutting the foam core. I would measure three times and all the sides or pieces I needed would still be different sizes, so I found myself having to work around and respond to those problems. What I ended up with was something a little less like a solid building and instead, I gained something a little more whimsical and something that actually enhanced the look I was going for.

I knew from the start that I wanted the viewer to be able to look inside of the structure, but I had not thought beyond putting card stock squares on the floor to provide something to look at. As I began to work I started playing around with cutouts and layering strips of paper to add some character, and using the scraps from the cutouts to add to the structure. Finding gold paint revolutionized the way I operated because it changed the way I was looking at the piece. I liked that that the gold paint was reflective and I began thinking about capturing how the light played on the gold accents. That is what made me use so much gold on the inside because it was that hint of a surprise that I wanted and it was less gaudy to me on the inside. I created texture along the inside walls of the piece using gold paint and dabbing it on with a napkin, then I gold dusted the floor to give it a hint of sparkle and painted the inside on the roof gold so that it would not be visible from the outside.

The greatest success and what I am the proudest of in the piece would be the dome. I wanted to replicate the shape and material of the Dome of the Rock, but I also wanted to add the hole at the top like the oculus in the Pantheon. Finding an appropriate template and cutting out the pieces and constructing it was a pain, but it turned out better than I had hoped. Finding what to cover the inside walls of the dome was a trial and error process. At first, I had painted it all black and I was going to put gold-dust as I did with the floor, but that did not work out, so I took some cardstock and layered that within the dome. All in all, I did enjoy building the piece at times and I am happy with the results, but I think I will stick to 2-D mediums.

For the final project I wanted to design more of a building than a sculpture. I want to mix some of the architectural and design elements of the Dome of the Rock and the Pantheon with the arches of the Agnes Scott logo. The main body of the piece will be in the octagonal shape of the Dome of the Rock, but the dome will have layered rings seen on top of the Pantheon along with the oculus in the center of the dome where one can view into the piece. The arched opening will be layered and open so that the viewer can see through the piece. There will be three portals with the middle one being the largest and on the floor will be gold designed card stock. Card stock will be utilized throughout the piece  because there will be card stock panels that make up two sides of the octagon as well as on top along with the golden card stock that the dome will be made of. The colors are mostly going to be black with gold accents, but I also want to utilize some blue floral card stock that has gold accents for the panels. The concept is not so rigid, and it is mostly a guide at the moment. I want to be open to deviating from the plan if I think the piece should go somewhere different, or if something does not go according to plan. The images below are of a test dome that I did. I wanted to see how big the dome would be, how malleable the card stock would be, and to experiment with cutting a circle into the top of the dome.