Module 6 // Video Response

1.  For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the topics: Sculpture, Installation, and Craft?

• From the first video http://digital.films.com/play/RUXEGP (Through the Eyes of a Sculptor), i learned quite a bit about what a sculptor has to go through to create a piece of work. There is a lot to consider, and obtaining the materials can be quite a challenge. Artists may purchase blocks of stone from a stoneyard, but some go as far as to visit a live quarry to find a particular piece of stone suitable for their work. Sometimes it may take a while to for an artist to find the perfect piece of stone to work with. Factors really need to be considered when creating a sculpture, what materials is it made out of, the shape of the piece and if it will be displayed in an outdoor environment or an indoor space. All of these need to be considered and more. Creating sculptures required a lot of work and it is a time consuming process that requires skill and expertise. 

• The second video Glass and Ceramics, was very informative and taught me a lot about two materials, glass and ceramics two very prominent materials in art and daily life that has innumerable applications. Glass and Ceramics have several similarities, they are both created using heat inside of a kiln and both contain similar substances. However glass contains silicones while ceramics usually do not. Glass makers use a road and blow with their mouths, and use their hands to shape the hot glass. Propane, coals, poking tools and chemical agents can all be used to give the glass a desired form. Stained glass is created using chloride and sulfide based paints. Creating stained glass required many steps including creating drafts and fitting the colored pieces together. Lighting is also an important element that must be considered. Ceramics were developed before glass. Different temperatures produce different grades of ceramics for different purposes. Minerals are crushed and mixed with water, molds made from plaster are then filled with the mixture and then fired inside a kiln at the desired temperature. 

• The videos were very informative and I found them to be supplemental to the readings and to my understanding of the topics within the reading (Sculpture, Installation and Craft). The reading definitely went into more depth on the techniques used but visually watching artist use these techniques and explain the basics was very helpful to my understanding. 

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