Do Ho Suh, Fallen Star Critique The piece Fallen Star by artist Do Ho Suh is a sculpture that consist of a small blue house placed on the very edge of an office building. The house looks as though it has landed there by accident, if seen from the front the viewer can see a surrounding garden and lawn made to look like a front lawn. This piece can fall into several categories of aesthetic lenses. The first that could apply is representational because this house is used to represent the artist childhood home. Emotionalism applies because the artist did this piece to show an emotional part of his personal life and how it felt; he then strives to display those feelings through his work. Functionalism can be applied to the piece however that is not what the piece was intended for, therefore representational and emotionalism are stronger in that aspect. Along with this the piece includes several of the elements and principles of design and displays the artists feeling and thoughts on his personal experience. The elements and principles of design shown in this piece include: form, line, texture, color, space, contrast, variety, movement, proximity and emphasis. Form is shown through the geometric form of the house, like most other houses it has a variety of shapes put together to make a three-dimensional form. The viewer is able to go inside the piece which helps to display its volume. The lines in the piece are mostly diagonal and creating a movement towards the office building, making it look more like it has crashed there. The texture of the piece appears to be mainly smooth and the color consists of light blue and black. The piece is considered site specific because if it was placed elsewhere the same affect would not take place because the piece is placed in close proximity to the office building, that building also becomes part of the sculpture and creates contrast and variety because both buildings are so different. Emphasis in the piece is emphasis by isolation. The viewer cannot help but to see this piece because it is the only house in the middle of the city typically houses are placed around the city causing this piece to have a focal point due to this isolation. My own interpretation of the piece was that everyone is unique and important in some way, but many times we blend in with the crowd and it is not until we are separated by going above and beyond that we are really seen as that unique “star”. My personal interpretation was based off not only the piece but the title as well; however this was not the artist intention for the piece. The artist interpretation of the piece is based off his feeling of first coming to the United States from his original home in Korea he said it was “like he was dropped from the sky” which is perfectly displayed by the illusion the house had crashed there. Do Ho Suh said this was to show his feeling of displacement in the United States when he first arrived, he chose this particular look to the house because it is a representation of his childhood home. Do Ho Suh’s piece Fallen Star has several strengths. One of the main strengths is effective placement. This placement helped to get his point across without the placement the piece may not be as effective or interesting. Another strength is that there are many ways people can interpret the piece making it more relatable. Overall Fallen Star is very effective.
Works Citied Ollman, Leah Do Ho Suh’s “Fallen Star” Makes Home Not So Comfortable. Los Angeles Times.2015. http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jun/16/entertainment/la-et-fallen-star- artist-20120614
Kylee Wargel
ReplyDeleteART-111- 3-D Design
12 February, 2015
Do Ho Suh, Fallen Star Critique
The piece Fallen Star by artist Do Ho Suh is a sculpture that consist of a small blue house placed on the very edge of an office building. The house looks as though it has landed there by accident, if seen from the front the viewer can see a surrounding garden and lawn made to look like a front lawn. This piece can fall into several categories of aesthetic lenses. The first that could apply is representational because this house is used to represent the artist childhood home. Emotionalism applies because the artist did this piece to show an emotional part of his personal life and how it felt; he then strives to display those feelings through his work. Functionalism can be applied to the piece however that is not what the piece was intended for, therefore representational and emotionalism are stronger in that aspect. Along with this the piece includes several of the elements and principles of design and displays the artists feeling and thoughts on his personal experience.
The elements and principles of design shown in this piece include: form, line, texture, color, space, contrast, variety, movement, proximity and emphasis. Form is shown through the geometric form of the house, like most other houses it has a variety of shapes put together to make a three-dimensional form. The viewer is able to go inside the piece which helps to display its volume. The lines in the piece are mostly diagonal and creating a movement towards the office building, making it look more like it has crashed there. The texture of the piece appears to be mainly smooth and the color consists of light blue and black. The piece is considered site specific because if it was placed elsewhere the same affect would not take place because the piece is placed in close proximity to the office building, that building also becomes part of the sculpture and creates contrast and variety because both buildings are so different. Emphasis in the piece is emphasis by isolation. The viewer cannot help but to see this piece because it is the only house in the middle of the city typically houses are placed around the city causing this piece to have a focal point due to this isolation.
My own interpretation of the piece was that everyone is unique and important in some way, but many times we blend in with the crowd and it is not until we are separated by going above and beyond that we are really seen as that unique “star”. My personal interpretation was based off not only the piece but the title as well; however this was not the artist intention for the piece. The artist interpretation of the piece is based off his feeling of first coming to the United States from his original home in Korea he said it was “like he was dropped from the sky” which is perfectly displayed by the illusion the house had crashed there. Do Ho Suh said this was to show his feeling of displacement in the United States when he first arrived, he chose this particular look to the house because it is a representation of his childhood home.
Do Ho Suh’s piece Fallen Star has several strengths. One of the main strengths is effective placement. This placement helped to get his point across without the placement the piece may not be as effective or interesting. Another strength is that there are many ways people can interpret the piece making it more relatable. Overall Fallen Star is very effective.
Works Citied
Ollman, Leah Do Ho Suh’s “Fallen Star” Makes Home Not So Comfortable. Los Angeles
Times.2015. http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jun/16/entertainment/la-et-fallen-star-
artist-20120614