Joe Norman Sculpture

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

The Ambiguous Family, completed

This sculpture represents a family.

The idea for this sculpture started with my involvement with the gay rights movement here in Utah and the legislation that attempted to define what a ‘family’ was and was not. Specifically, I wanted to represent a group with ambiguous genders in a defensive posture. What better way to demonstrate a family under siege than to use a material that has been battered, worn, and discarded . . . like hoods from wrecked trucks?

The fascinating thing about this project is that the more I talked to people about it, the more I saw how everyone on both sides of this issue felt like their concept of family was being attacked. How interesting is it that we’re all at each others’ throats even when we have the same basic joys and fears?

To see the process of creating this sculpture, look here:

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7

This sculpture is part of the Lawn Gnomes Eat Your Hearts Out exhibit through the Salt Lake Art Center. See more information about bus, bike, and walking tours here:

http://www.slartcenter.org/?page_id=249

. . . and a Google map of all the sculptures across SLC here:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=202526600326316503418.0004a13b990f61e4bf3c8&ll=40.665535,-111.868286&spn=0.250003,0.439453&z=11&source=embed

To hear the artists talk about their work, call 801-349-3498 and enter the number of the sculpture (the Ambiguous Family is 212). Each sculpture has a sign by it explaining this process.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Pecha-Kucha: Inspire Japan

I recently gave a presentation at Pecha-Kucha Night here in Salt Lake. (For a description of Pecha-Kucha, see here.)

The basic idea is to give designers and creative types 20 seconds for each of 20 slides, spreading great ideas and avoiding windbags. Since the concept started in Japan, this particular event was a fundraiser for relief efforts there.

My presentation can be found here. The video is a little hard to see at times, so I've included the slides below. Enjoy!

http://www.pecha-kucha.org/

http://vimeo.com/22924704

Thursday, April 21, 2011

The Ambiguous Family, part 7

The Ambiguous Family, made from wrecked truck hoods, in the works . . .

Thursday, March 31, 2011

1% for the People

Many folks are familiar with the ‘1% for the Planet’ initiative -- in a nutshell, it is a group of business that recognize that their commercial viability and the livlihood of their customers depends on natural resources. These businesses have pledged 1% of their sales to fund environmental initiatives. There are over 900 of them in the United States alone; Patagonia, maker of adventure clothing and gear, is one of the better known.

Here at Blue Boat Home Design’s world headquarters, we’ve also decided to donate 1% of our sales to worthwhile organizations. Specifically, we’re calling it ‘1% for the People’ -- in short, 1% of our sales will go toward organizations that work towards fulfilling our mission to help people gather together and understand one another.

In 2009, 1% of our sales went towards Tim DeChristopher’s legal defense fund. This year (2010), the donation went toward KRCL, a local public radio station that not only plays great music, has no advertising, and actively challenges the entrenched conservative politics in Utah (interestingly, although not surprisingly, GOP Representatives from Utah have unanimously voted to end funding for public radio).

If you also believe in having an independent voice unaffected by corporate interest giving you your news, then donate here.

http://www.peacefuluprising.org/climate-trial

http://www.onepercentfortheplanet.org/en/

http://www.examiner.com/political-buzz-in-salt-lake-city/utah-votes-along-party-lines-to-cut-npr-funding

http://www.krcl.org/

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Alcohol in Utah: a grant proposal

The following is an excerpt from a recent grant proposal I submitted-- although it hasn't been fabricated or approved (yet), I hope it will help inspire some mature dialog about the role of alcohol in society. The request was made by Utah's Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (DABC), which owns and operates all of the liquor stores in the state. For those unfamiliar with the Promised Land, think of it like going to the DMV to get a bottle of wine.

4 views of the proposed sculpture

Summary
The DABC has the wonderful opportunity to support the arts and establish a distinct visual presence at its new stores across the state. I propose to build a permanent outdoor sculpture of steel and concrete that depicts the plants from which beer, wine, and spirits are made.

The Site
If Utahns are anything, they are connected to their land. Many of our traditions and livelihood depend directly upon it. In fact, just blocks away from the Holladay Liquor Store there are community gardens and horse pastures. Even our license plates show the rocks and the weather that make Utah a world famous destination. Without the natural ecosystems of Utah and the land that support them, we would literally loose our sense of place.

I think it would be interesting to show the link between the land and the things that the DABC sells. Many of the plants from which beer, wine, and spirits are made are grown in Utah; we have our own vineyards and breweries which are familiar to the store’s patrons. Although I’ve presented this sculpture in the context of the Holladay store, will work thematically and visually with any of the other sites available should they be found to be more appropriate venues.

Sculpture on-site at one of the liquor stores

The Sculpture
In this proposal I include conceptual images of a sculpture placed on the Holladay store grounds. It will be approximately 4 feet wide by 4 feet deep and 7 feet tall.

It is comprised of a square concrete base on top of which are permanently mounted four steel panels forming an enclosed box. Cut out of each panel are depictions of specific plants that are key ingredients for some of the products sold in the Liquor Store. For example, barley and hops are crucial in the beer making process and are aesthetically powerful images when rendered out of the steel plates. In addition, the names of the plants will be inscribed on the concrete base.

The design of the sculpture is such that maintenance will be kept to a minimum. The steel will develop a deep red rust patina and is of a gauge thick enough that the metal will not be structurally compromised. The concrete base will also be reinforced and treated to avoid cracking and deterioration.