Wire sculpture & the language of forms

Arts & Activities, May, 2005 by Greg Hauss

If you have a closet full of old wire hangers, you can teach your students about a famous 20th-century artist, abstract sculpture and the language of form.

With young children we place great emphasis on the visual world. When reading to children, great pains are taken to explain the illustrations; we often take more time with the images than with the accompanying text. Sadly, this other language of images begins to wane in significance as "real reading" takes on greater importance. In fact, the emphasis we place on the visual image seems to decline in inverse proportion to the growing importance of the text. As art instructors we hope to fill this void.

Here is an art lesson designed to reawaken students' understanding of the language of form and help them develop an appreciation for abstract sculpture. For elementary-age students, abstract wire sculpture is only so much twisted metal.

So, before actually beginning this project, it's important to give them an understanding of what some call "language of association." Regardless of where you stand on the whole Post-modern debate on semiotics and artistic symbols, the project yields some interesting results, promotes lively discussion, and gives students some basis for abstract sculpture. The verdict is still out on content and form, but I agree with the majority who would say that although abstract forms lack a syntactic base, they have a vocabulary all their own.

I like to start with two basic shapes, either drawn or made from the hanger wire that you'll use for the project. One shape should be sharp, angular and synthetic, while the other is soft, rounded and biomorphic. Playa little game of association with these shapes as they pertain to the five senses. Use these word associations to write similes.

For example, the angular shape might "sound like a screeching tire," or "smell like ammonia," of "feel like a frosty morning," while the rounded shape might "taste like warm milk and honey," or "look like rosy cheeks," or "smell like sweet jasmine." You get the idea; one shape is your warm fuzzy, and the other is your hard edge. For slower students it might help to have a few of your own similes ready to go with each shape until they catch on.

I like to have the students share their similes while the class tries to guess which of the two shapes they relate to. Ninety percent of the time they guess right; but that's the point. Students should see there are similarities to the kind of meaning and language we give to the forms. Next you can try giving students some powerful nouns and verbs and have them draw their own linear representations of sculpt its representation from a single piece of wire. After students get the hang of this they can choose one of these shapes as inspiration for a poetic composition. I have my students give their shapes names of an emotion, special place, or season, and compose some free verse poems using the similes and metaphors they generate. This is a very simple prewriting exercise that yields great results and establishes needed parameters for examining abstract sculpture. (For a different approach to this idea. see Poetry by Interaction Publications.)

In the world of modern sculpture. Calder makes a good starting point because his geometric and linear work is so easily accessible to students of all grade levels. During the first week I set up a classroom center with many Calder folios I check out from the library. Students spend their free time examining and making sketches from them. We pay particularly close attention to his linear works since our own projects will use similar materials. This is a good way for students to develop a feel for an artist. I've done wire sculpture with kids before, and these prep activities make a difference in their understanding and final product. Without it, students don't really know what they are trying to achieve.

GETTING STARTED

Gather all your old wire hangers or purchase some at your local dollar store. Cut these at the necks so students are working with a single piece of wire with two ends. Each student will need a pair of pliers for gripping, bending and shaping their wire. Most students have a pair at home they can bring. Borrow safety goggles from your science lab if you can. Students will also need a block of scrap wood (approx. 1" x 4" x 6") for mounting. Your local lumberyard can mill these for a nominal fee or might even donate to your school. An assortment of ceramic or acrylic paints can give life to the finished sculptures, although raw metal can be pleasing too.

I try to keep the instructions simple: Limit your wire to three hangers; include some angular and some curvilinear shapes; and paint with two or three colors. Students can also cut geometric shapes from foil or plastic to hang from the wire. It usually takes two class sessions to get the wire bent into shapes and mounted on the wood blocks and another session to paint. I keep my drill handy so as students complete each wire configuration I drill 3/32-inch holes into the wood blocks where the ends of the wires will mount. Also, for safety reasons, I do any wire cutting needed.