SOUL: DIORAMA ____________ A Master’s Exhibition of Sculpture Presented to the Faculty of California State University, Chico ____________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree Master of Fine Arts in Art ____________ by © Ryan Skylar Gibbons 2017 Fall 2017 SOUL: DIORAMA A Master’s Exhibition by Ryan Skylar Gibbons Fall 2017 APPROVED BY THE INTERIM DEAN OF GRADUATE STUDIES: _________________________________ Sharon Barrios, Ph.D. APPROVED BY THE GRADUATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE: _________________________________ _________________________________ Cameron G. Crawford, M.F.A. Cameron G. Crawford, M.F.A., Chair Graduate Coordinator _________________________________ Sheri Simons, M.F.A. PUBLICATION RIGHTS No portion of this project may be reprinted or reproduced in any manner unacceptable to the usual copyright restrictions without the written permission of the author. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Publication Rights....................................................................................................... iii List of Figures............................................................................................................. v Abstract....................................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER I. Introduction............................................................................................... 1 Limitations .................................................................................... 3 Definitions..................................................................................... 5 The Ampelmännchen..................................................................... 7 Plato’s World of Forms and Allegory of the Cave ....................... 12 Double-Slit Experiment ................................................................ 14 II. Historical and Contemporary Influences .................................................. 16 Surrealism ..................................................................................... 18 III. Methodology............................................................................................. 24 Introduction................................................................................... 24 Screen Printing, Color, and Light ................................................. 24 Diorama......................................................................................... 28 Installation Compositions ............................................................. 30 IV. Conclusions............................................................................................... 33 Bibliography ............................................................................................................... 35 Master’s Exhibition..................................................................................................... 38 iv LIST OF FIGURES MASTER’S EXHIBITION JOHANNES-GUTENBERG UNIVERSITY, MAINZ, GERMANY FALL 2017 FIGURE PAGE 1. “Soul: Diorama, Before: Detail 1,” found object, paper, cloth, cardboard, Edison bulb, LED lights, steel wire, string; 9m x 1.5m x 3m; Summer 2017 ................................................................. 39 2. “Soul: Diorama, Before: Detail 2,” found object, paper, cloth, cardboard, Edison bulb, LED lights, steel wire, string; 9m x 1.5m x 3m; Summer 2017 ................................................................. 40 3. “Soul: Diorama, Before (Detail, Vessel III): Detail 1,” found object, cardboard, Edison bulb, steel wire, string; 9m x 1.5m x 3m; Summer 2017 ................................................................. 41 4. “Soul: Diorama, Before (Detail, Vessel III): Detail 2,” found object, cardboard, Edison bulb, steel wire, string; 9m x 1.5m x 3m; Summer 2017 ................................................................. 42 5. “Soul: Diorama, Before (Detail, Vessel III): Detail 3,” found object, cardboard, Edison bulb, steel wire, string; 9m x 1.5m x 3m; Summer 2017 ................................................................. 43 6. “Soul: Diorama, Before (Detail, Vessel III): Detail 4,” found object, cardboard, Edison bulb, steel wire, string; 9m x 1.5m x 3m; Summer 2017 ................................................................. 44 7. “Soul: Diorama, Before (Detail, Vessel III): Detail 5,” found object, cardboard, Edison bulb, steel wire, string; 9m x 1.5m x 3m; Summer 2017 ................................................................. 45 8. “Soul: Diorama, Before (Detail, Vessel II): Detail 1,” found object, paper, cloth, cardboard, LED lights, steel wire, string; 9m x 1.5m x 3m; Summer 2017 ................................................................. 46 v FIGURE PAGE 9. “Soul: Diorama, Before (Detail, Vessel II): Detail 2,” found object, paper, cloth, cardboard, LED lights, steel wire, string; 9m x 1.5m x 3m; Summer 2017 ................................................................. 47 10. “Soul: Diorama, Before (Detail, Vessel II): Detail 3,” found object, paper, cloth, cardboard, LED lights, steel wire, string; 9m x 1.5m x 3m; Summer 2017 ................................................................. 48 11. “Soul: Diorama, Before (Detail, Vessel I): Detail 1,” found object, paper, LED lights, steel wire, string; 9m x 1.5m x 3m; Summer 2017 ................................................................. 49 12. “Soul: Diorama, Before (Detail, Vessel I): Detail 2,” found object, paper, LED lights, steel wire, string; 9m x 1.5m x 3m; Summer 2017 ................................................................. 50 13. “Soul: Diorama, After: Detail 1,” Screen print, light activated ink, scrolls of paper, programmed LED lights, cloth, cardboard, steel wire; 9m x 6m x 3m; Summer 2017 .................................................................... 51 14. “Soul: Diorama, After: Detail 2,” Screen print, light activated ink, scrolls of paper, programmed LED lights, cloth, cardboard, steel wire; 9m x 6m x 3m; Summer 2017 .................................................................... 52 15. “Soul: Diorama, After: Detail 3,” Screen print, light activated ink, scrolls of paper, programmed LED lights, cloth, cardboard, steel wire; 9m x 6m x 3m; Summer 2017 .................................................................... 53 16. “Soul: Diorama, After: Detail 4,” Screen print, light activated ink, scrolls of paper, programmed LED lights, cloth, cardboard, steel wire; 9m x 6m x 3m; Summer 2017 .................................................................... 54 17. “Soul: Diorama, After: Detail 5,” Screen print, light activated ink, scrolls of paper, programmed LED lights, cloth, cardboard, steel wire; 9m x 6m x 3m; Summer 2017 .................................................................... 55 18. “Soul: Diorama, After: Detail 6,” Screen print, light activated ink, scrolls of paper, programmed LED lights, cloth, cardboard, steel wire; 9m x 6m x 3m; Summer 2017 .................................................................... 56 vi FIGURE PAGE 19. “Soul: Diorama, After: Detail 7,” Screen print, light activated ink, scrolls of paper, programmed LED lights, cloth, cardboard, steel wire; 9m x 6m x 3m; Summer 2017 .................................................................... 57 20. “Soul: Diorama, After: Detail 8,” Screen print, light activated ink, scrolls of paper, programmed LED lights, cloth, cardboard, steel wire; 9m x 6m x 3m; Summer 2017 .................................................................... 58 21. “Soul: Diorama, After (Ampelmännchen): Detail 1,” Screen print, light activated ink, scrolls of paper, programmed LED lights, cloth, cardboard, steel wire; 20 cm x 20 cm; Summer 2017 ........... 59 22. “Soul: Diorama, After (Ampelmännchen): Detail 2,” Screen print, light activated ink, scrolls of paper, programmed LED lights, cloth, cardboard, steel wire; 20 cm x 20 cm; Summer 2017 ........... 60 vii ABSTRACT SOUL: DIORAMA by © Ryan Skylar Gibbons 2017 Master of Fine Arts in Art California State University, Chico Fall 2017 Soul: Diorama Exhibition 2017 Johannes-Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany, is a sculptural installation made up of idiosyncratic imagery, processes, and compositions of my art making practice. The work speaks to the idea of the place it was made and stands as a self-portrait of the artist through the manipulated and appropriated German iconography, the Ampelmännchen. The written portion of the Masters’ project explores a cross-discipline investigation and conceptualization of the processes and imagery. Art is a place where the mystics of philosophy and observation of science may collaborate to influence the pursuit of research and final compositional decisions in exhibition. Within the cerebral state, I envisioned the mechanics of particle physics of light and color in the world around us. Cerebral visions of these underlying physics of the everyday led to the surreal paradoxical environment that is Soul: Diorama. I hypothesized on how to create illusionary three-dimensional spaces: Soul: Diorama, Before illusionary effects are achieved by restricting the viewers perspective and applying forced perspective practices of painting to three-dimensional small-scale dioramas. Soul: Diorama, After illusionary effects are the viii result of screen printed images of light activated ink and programmed LED lights that create a primary hologram reaction. ix CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Soul: Diorama is a sculptural installation that is a product of studying