| Art students create an 'unnatural history' project | | Print | |
| Written by Amy Seaman | |
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An array of white, skeletal creatures rests silently on a black backdrop in the back of the Book-to-Book store. This is the Museum of Unnatural History, a makeshift art gallery showcasing ceramic students’ imaginative creations. Taught by Maria Rode, these students embarked on a journey to preserve childhood memories by “fossilizing” them in clay last November. Students brought in a stuffed toy of their choice and dipped it in slip — a mixture of clay and water used for binding two pieces of clay together — then fired it in the kiln, according to junior ceramics student Simon Zhao. “By the time they came out of the kiln, all that was left was the clay fossil of the toy, because the stuffed toy's innards burnt off,” he said. The work and skill required for the project was relatively simple in comparison to the rest of the fall semester's projects, according to Zhao. “Saying farewell to our beloved stuffed animals was probably the hardest part of the project,” he said, laughing. While not labor-intensive, the project still presented a certain level of complexity to some students. “I think it was the most sophisticated project we did this semester in the sense that we were trying to make a statement with it,” senior Amanda Limcaco said. She saw the project an interesting way to express herself. “It was kind of like an extended joke because she wanted to make the museum sound official, so she had us make up a kind of story for them,” she said, adding that some took the project more seriously than others, even making up scientific names for creatures made out of Japanese toys, cartoon characters and tiny stuffed dinosaurs. “There are kingdoms of fire, rainbows, dragons, you name it,” she said. Named “Pink Nana,” Zhao’s fossil sits in a ceramic cup complete with bear prints. While working on the project, he imagined his creation’s former habitat and lifestyle: “The habitat is in a cool and relatively dry area, with a river that has a never-ending supply of its favorite food, shrimp, which gives it its distinct pink color.” Junior Bob Lee’s creatures, on the other hand, is an urbanite. He described his previously cream-colored “Bookbear” as one of several city-dwelling mammals that dislike captivity and can be found frequenting libraries and museums. “They make their nests out of pieces of paper in the corners of shelves,” he said. But unlike some “grade-focused Lowellites,” he added, this now-extinct fossil and his clan did not take life too seriously. “They like standing on their heads a lot,” he explained. The project offered students a lot of freedom because they could bring in any stuffed animal of their choice. “It's called ‘unnatural history’ because the animal is supposed to be one from the student's childhood,” Rode said. “But some of them were just random.” Like many students, Limcaco plans to keep her project after the exhibit is taken down. “It was a humorous and playful presentation of our memories,” she said. Through the project, Rode also hoped to give her students the experience of collaborating with a gallery and displaying their art. “How does a museum work? That's what I wanted my students to know,” she said. There are over 60 student pieces currently being shown, according to Rode, who was especially grateful to the Book-to-Book for providing the exhibit area. “They are so kind for offering us the use of their space and letting us display our crazy exhibit there,” she said. |
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