Elizabeth Geller
Last fall, two outdoor installations by Ben Coppolo were created for Allegheny College's Art in the Environment, Introduction to Studio Art course taught by Dave Collins. The assignment required the construction of sculptural works using solely natural materials such as dried flowers, stones, bark, pinecones and grass. The majority of works created by the class were constructed outdoors, left to slowly fall apart, returning each piece to nature. They are created in order to disappear over time; photographs are the only memory of their existence.
A direct influence for this type of art making is Andy Goldsworthy. Goldsworthy, a British artist, creates site-specific sculptures in nature. Through his work he explores the movement, light, growth and decay of nature. One of his largest pieces is a stone wall laid 2,288 feet long, located on the grounds of Storm King Art Center in New York State. The stones has been collected as an exact fit; no cement was used. Many of his works require stacking, weaving and sometimes a little human saliva to help mold and form the materials used into desired shapes and compositional aspects. Similarly, the natural form of adhesive used by sophomore Ben Coppolo was mud.
Untitled I was created in Woodcock Creek Park in Meadville, PA. Grass clumps with mud attached were imbedded into a large tree, creating a stream of green within the sea of grays and browns of the bark. This work is a model for the cooperation and harmony found within nature. The grass, once part of the ground, grows now in the air. With this particular piece, the image shown to the viewer can be designed several ways because of the means of documentation, photography. Photos were taken from above, below, and on either side, giving the composition a different feel each time.
Another artist working in the realm of site-specific natural art is Robert Smithson. His Earthworks are designed specifically for the space in which they are constructed. Placement of a work in a different area would generate a different meaning for the piece. Smithson believes that, "the idea that a work, rather than merely occupying a designated place, actually constitutes that place" (de Oliveiera). The Coppolo's Untitled II was designed for a specific place, Allegheny College campus, and therefore communicates a message to and about the people of the school.
Untitled II was constructed in a yard on campus in a high traffic area. The piece is approximately nine feet in diameter and closely resembles the structure of Spiral Jetty (Spiral Jetty) by Smithson. Ben's piece illustrates nature's life cycle. The dried plant life in the center becomes the soil from which the outer, living pieces feed. It is used as a metaphor for Allegheny College as a learning environment. As students, we learn from what has been and use that to feed our minds and create what will soon be.
For more information about the Art Department at Allegheny College please visit: http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/art/artSite/main.html.
Works Cited:
http://www.robertsmithson.com/
http://cgee.hamline.edu/see/goldsworthy/see_an_andy.html
de Oliveiera, Nicolas, Nicola Oxley, and Michael Petry. Installation Art. London: Thames and Hudson Inc., 1994.
