Elise Vanden Dool: Before the first class...

Creative work

'Precarious'

(HSC Visual Arts Body of Work)

I transformed an old wooden school desk into a sculptural form which hung precariously from the ceiling, covered in paper flowers with intricate cutouts done by hand. By juxtaposing the stability of the writing desk with the weightlessness of the flowers and paper I aimed to represent the fragility and transience that is inherent in our daily world. Like paper, our existence is ephemeral.
This piece of work was a year-long project which blossomed from my initial simple ideas into a work that I felt very proud (and relieved!) to finally accomplish.

A piece of architecture

The Guggenheim Museum, New York - Frank Lloyd Wright

Although I know FLW is not the most original choice of architect, on a school art trip to New York last year I visited the Guggenheim and just loved it.What I find really appealing in architecture is striking simplicity, and I found myself drawn to the spiral layout of this museum. As well as being visually impressive, it also provides for an effective way of viewing the artworks on display, by simply making your way down the ramp from the top of the building. In other museums it's always so hard to know where to begin and where to head to next. Being part of a group of 26 students on the trip, it was also easy to locate friends who were on other levels, as the spiral ramp simply surrounds a large atrium-style centre, with a wonderful skylight to 'let the outside in'.

Original photograph

I'm not an avid photographer, but I did take this photo of a magnificent rose in my grandmother's garden and was pleased with the result. She spends a lot of her time tending to the garden and it is truly a place of beauty and serenity for me. As my VA major work suggests, I'm really intrigued by flowers and the fleeting nature of their appearance, as well as the effect they can have on us.

Shinya Kimura