Tara Donovan is an American sculptor widely known for her large-scale installations that utilize everyday objects. Her work mainly alters everyday objects that are mass produced or commonly known as ‘hyperobjects.’ According to Timothy Morton, a professor of object-oriented thought, ‘hyperobjects are objects that are massively distributed in time and space relative to humans.’ Donovan has a way to discover the physical peculiarities of an object and delve into the essence of accumulation in her spatial technique. She reworks materials into 2D and 3D forms interplaying with space and light in fine and astonishing ways. These site-responsive installations create a contemporary scene by using materials such as scotch tape, drinking straws, styrofoam cups, paper plates, plastic rods, mylar tape, toothpicks, buttons, pins and many more. With Donovan’s biomorphic artwork, it was innovative in a way that conveys her intent to ‘mimic the way of nature, the way things actually grow’ (Andrey 2017, para. 4).

The choice of material was more critical for Donovan to follow on to form. Her techniques included, ripping, twisting, grouping, stacking, piling and cutting, to finally complement the beauty of the material itself. Materials themselves would often be easily accessible, inexpensive, translucent or light reflective, and mass produced. Donovan’s works are built in the exhibit venue to associate it with the spaces of her experimentation. She would transcend materials up to a point where she was satisfied with it, similar to being a scientist or an alchemist. Also, she would employ varying the light, quantity, and arrangement to suggest natural forms as a central point. The final element would challenge conventional ideas of the audience’s proportion and experience to open interpretation. These artworks borrowed manufactured goods and were never titled to avoid pigeonholing them into a specific idea, which was not her intention.

With Donovan’s spatial technique and language, I saw space in a different way and focused more on trying to create forms of nature. I choose a series of mass-produced objects, including paperclip, mylar tape, rubber bands, macrame rope, and plastic straws. I followed the nature of each material, whether it is stacked (paper clip, straws), knotted (macramé rope), bent or stretched (rubber bands), or folded in a circle (Mylar tape). Repeating these techniques, I wanted to compose these patterns into productive use to depict an illusion of magical creation, mainly imitating the ways of nature. These simple illusions are what makes Donovan admirable to the public eye as they finally realize the real element that frames her work. Similarly, with glue gun and materials, these hyperobjects showed me a new method in revealing my aim for viewers to experience and feel their presence to whatever form they perceive from my work. The work itself also has an interplay with light and space due to these translucent and light reflective objects.

Final Photos 

Translucent plastic straws

Paperclips

Reflective tape

Macrame rope

Clear Rubber bands

My final iteration as a proposal/architecture in the city 

Donovan’s spatial technique and language triangulate between natural forms and hyperobjects. This can construct the space of the city in the context of an architectural building. Hyperobjects exist whether a person thinks of it or not and are often wasted and ignored. People lose and replace them without considering the damage it can bring to the environment. This model can be associated with the city and proposed as an architectural structure for buildings or sculptures surrounding the area. There are millions of possibilities in using these simple materials as a foundation or element of an architectural object. With its translucent and high-reflective characteristic, it will appeal to the public eye and come to their attention. It will promote the use of more accessible, cheaper and environmentally friendly materials but will also suggest the spatial language it occupies. 

Bibliography:

Andrey, V. 2017, Tara Donovan, A Universe of Its Own, Widewalls, viewed 14 May 2019, <https://www.widewalls.ch/artist/tara-donovan/>.

Boyd, K. 2019, These Massive, Uncanny Artworks Will Give You the Chills, Art, Hyperallergic Media Inc., viewed 7 May 2019, <https://hyperallergic.com/481103/these-massive-uncanny-artworks-will-give-you-the-chills/>.

Channel, L. 2015, Tara Donovan Interview: Sculpting Everyday Materials, Film & Animation, YouTube, viewed 7 May 2019, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSCSnKqBNHg>.

Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, viewed 14 May 2019, <https://www.icaboston.org/art/tara-donovan/nebulous>.

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. 2013, LOUISIANA CONTEMPORARY

TARA DONOVAN, Denmark, viewed 14 May 2019, <https://www.louisiana.dk/en/exhibition/tara-donovan>.

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art 2013, Tara Donovan: Sculpting everyday materials, Film & Animation, YouTube, viewed 7 May 2019, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Bn2yZoDCEc>.

MCA Denver, TARA DONOVAN FIELDWORK, viewed 14 May 2019, <https://mcadenver.org/exhibitions/tara-donovan>.

Merjian, A.H, 2009, Tara Donovan, Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, USA, viewed 14 May 2019, <https://frieze.com/article/tara-donovan>.

Network, N. 2007, KETC | Living St. Louis | Tara Donovan, People & Blogs, YouTube, viewed 7 May 2019, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErYGD-vxWJ4>.

Ong, A. 2013, Tara Donovan at the Louisiana Contemporary, Denmark, viewed 14 May 2019, <https://www.frameweb.com/news/tara-donovan-at-the-louisiana-contemporary>.

PACE, Tara Donovan, viewed 7 May 2019, <https://www.pacegallery.com/artists/111/tara-donovan>.

Rice Gallery, 2003, Tara Donovan Haze, viewed 14 May 2019, <http://www.ricegallery.org/tara-donovan>.