fragile by design
October 25, 2010 8:28 AM Subscribe
Art project: what material could I use that would extremely easily marked/damaged/covered in fingerprints when dry?
We're doing a conceptual art project in my painting class, and I'd like to create something that shows the history of the interactions everyone has had with it in picking it up, bumping against it, and so on. I thought of a super-glossy spray paint finish but that may be too resilient, or of coating it in a fine layer of powder (flour or talc) but that may be a huge mess. Any suggestions for materials I haven't thought of? Art materials themselves tend to be designed to keep this from happening, so I suspect I'll need to a bit outside the box, but that's allowed.
P.S. I believe that this is a legit thing to ask the internet, but I will definitely mention where the idea for the chosen material came from to my professor.
We're doing a conceptual art project in my painting class, and I'd like to create something that shows the history of the interactions everyone has had with it in picking it up, bumping against it, and so on. I thought of a super-glossy spray paint finish but that may be too resilient, or of coating it in a fine layer of powder (flour or talc) but that may be a huge mess. Any suggestions for materials I haven't thought of? Art materials themselves tend to be designed to keep this from happening, so I suspect I'll need to a bit outside the box, but that's allowed.
P.S. I believe that this is a legit thing to ask the internet, but I will definitely mention where the idea for the chosen material came from to my professor.
Plasticine? Maybe combined with something else to make it firmer than usual but still malleable enough that it shows finger marks.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 8:32 AM on October 25, 2010
posted by EndsOfInvention at 8:32 AM on October 25, 2010
Polymer clay? Make a "base" sculptural item, bake it to solidify, then coat in a thin layer of more clay that you don't yet solidify.
posted by yesster at 8:35 AM on October 25, 2010
posted by yesster at 8:35 AM on October 25, 2010
I can think of a couple of things:
posted by Tchad at 8:48 AM on October 25, 2010
- 1. Window glazing putty. It is essentially linseed oil and filler. After a week it will skin over but will be soft for a while (up to a year, depending).
- 2. Whiting + linseed oil. For whiting I would use calcium carbonate (marble dust - you can get it at serious art stores) and then thicken it with the oil (purified, but not boiled) it will have depth and you can make it thick or thin. If you thicken it, like the glazing putty, it will skin over and as it gets brushed against or touched will either indent or tear the thin skin. It shouldn't be too bad, but it will take a week or so to set and skin over properly.
- 3. Silly putty? Doesn't it stay soft when exposed?
posted by Tchad at 8:48 AM on October 25, 2010
Beeswax might do. Also gel candle material (mineral oil + resin; recipes are online).
posted by xo at 8:53 AM on October 25, 2010
posted by xo at 8:53 AM on October 25, 2010
Microcrystalline wax comes in a few different hardnesses and colours. It's the kind used for modeling when you're doing lost wax casting. "Victory brown" was a common name for it. You'd have to push firmly, but it'll leave a perfect impression of a fingerprint. It never hardens but could be used to make a mold from later.
posted by bonobothegreat at 9:00 AM on October 25, 2010
posted by bonobothegreat at 9:00 AM on October 25, 2010
Best answer: Pastels? They're super messy before they're fixed and if you did a big enough piece and used enough pastel it would more or less show each bump and bing, maybe not down to the fingerprint level but definitely something.
posted by mygothlaundry at 9:11 AM on October 25, 2010
posted by mygothlaundry at 9:11 AM on October 25, 2010
Best answer: White matte paint, like the household kind. I made a piece a few years ago from a matte painted box and a load of newsprint origami, and it's covered still in smudgy fingerprints. Glass on the touchable surfaces would probably do the job too, if that's not too heavy to apply.
Oh, or sugar crystals sprinkled with water to bond, and then left to dry. It should be nearly impossible to interact with it without it being destroyed a little bit.
posted by carbide at 9:18 AM on October 25, 2010
Oh, or sugar crystals sprinkled with water to bond, and then left to dry. It should be nearly impossible to interact with it without it being destroyed a little bit.
posted by carbide at 9:18 AM on October 25, 2010
Clay (of the sort used for pottery) covered in a garbage bag or plastic wrap. I took a tour of a stoneware factory the other week, and we got to poke and prod a giant lump of wet clay covered in plastic -- not only is it malleable and able to hold its shape really well, it's also really satisfying to play with. The plastic, if airtight, will presumably keep the clay wet for a very long time.
posted by pluckemin at 9:26 AM on October 25, 2010
posted by pluckemin at 9:26 AM on October 25, 2010
Glass, with something dark and opaque behind it, and naked bodies to touch and brush up against it?
Preliminary research with my iPhone screen seems promising.
posted by fiercecupcake at 10:16 AM on October 25, 2010
Preliminary research with my iPhone screen seems promising.
posted by fiercecupcake at 10:16 AM on October 25, 2010
What about carbon paper or blotting paper? The first might be messy, and the second might be too subtle.
I really like the idea of the clay in airtight plastic.
posted by purpletangerine at 12:10 PM on October 25, 2010
I really like the idea of the clay in airtight plastic.
posted by purpletangerine at 12:10 PM on October 25, 2010
-Floral foam
-A magazine with every page printed entirely black
posted by clorox at 11:43 PM on October 25, 2010
-A magazine with every page printed entirely black
posted by clorox at 11:43 PM on October 25, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Grither at 8:31 AM on October 25, 2010