Suspended Memories The title of this piece was intended to reference the small details hidden throughout the composition and the overall meaning of the work. Within the branches I have hidden small charms that represent parts of my life and help explain me as a person. One of the charms in the branches is a small dolphin that represents a family trip that I went of seven years ago. This trip was to Florida and is probably one of my most memorable trips that I have been on in my life. Another charm within the branches, is a pair of ballet shoes that represents the time of my life were I was dedicated to ballet and that time has passed far behind but dancing remains important to me. The third charm within the branches is a small mirror. This mirror was to represent the beauty and vanity that I have found in life. People can show an amazing outpour of love to one another and celebrate differences, yet many people can be so caught up in their appearance in order to conform to society's definitions of beauty and behavior. Next comes the tiny key charm. This charm represents the emotional “door” I built between people and myself for some time. The key charm represents the door being opened and revealing my present, more open relationship with people. The final charm that I used is a small cross. This cross represents my faith and religion and what I believe my purpose in life to be. The piece as a whole has natural and industrial or abiotic factors. The books that I used for the base represent the words said throughout one's life that make up their story and the power of choice. Every word that is said helps layout the rest of life and change possibilities every second of every day. Within the piece, I used many different types of lines making sure there was a large variety. Perhaps the most prominent line in the whole piece is that of the pole that helps support the whole thing. I wanted a unique shape for the supporting pole and so I decided to give it a curve in multiple places. On the pole, there are ribbons wrapped around in a alternating fashion. The most defined lines in the piece are the sharp edges of the books that act as the piece's base. Some of the plastic beads hanging from the '"lampshade" and the berries from the branches are of a circular shape and the lamp shade is bent into a half-spherical shape. The books at the bottom are rectangular prisms. The colors included in the piece are red, silver, grey, black and white. All throughout the piece there are various textures. Starting at the books, there is a sealant on the surface on the top book giving it a smooth surface which then transitions into a staggered pattern, thus creating a rougher texture. As your eyes travel upwards, the texture of the pole is made slightly more coarse due to the ribbon and newspaper. The "lamp shade" is mainly coarse and the beads and charms are all smooth. Being that this is a sculpture, the piece is technically 3D and takes up positive space. All of the mediums used for this piece were an artificial plant, bending wire, books, metal charms, an oil lamp part, plastic beads, acrylic paint, and re-used book pages. The main wire and artificial plant were all bent by hand, the book pages were glued on with a sealant, the red ribbons were hot-glued on, the silver paint was applied with a medium brush and holes were drilled into each book. When making my piece, I made sure to emphasize the "lamp shade" because of the meaning behind it. The "lamp shade" was meant to signify the light that was being shined on my life for all to see through my piece. The composition overall has an asymmetrical balance because even with there being a centralized area contrasting the rest of the piece, the supporting pole and books help balance due to spacing and size. To help with the proportion of the piece, I wrapped a ribbon on the pole and stacked up the books at the bottom so as to appear taller so there would not be an overpowering element. The dominating pattern throughout the piece is created by my use of red and silver. When looking at my piece, the movement starts at the top at the "lamp shade" and follows down the supporting pole to the supporting base books. Even though the piece does have not have many similar materials or designs, the composition resembles a familiar image of a standing lamp therefore it helps the piece to appear to work together. My piece is composed with a great amount of variety because the natural "lamp shade' contrasts with the rest of the piece, and nothing is really the same size except for most of the plastic beads and two of the supporting books. Hopefully my explanation of my piece can better help you understand it and hopefully teach you something.