The Vital Ambiguity of Surface: Culturally Determined Notions of Metaphor and Performance in Contemporary Building Material

Author

Christopher T. Campbell, Washington University in St. LouisFollow

Date of Award

Spring 5-20-2016

Author's School

Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts

Author Department/Program

Graduate School of Art

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Visual Art

Degree Type

Thesis

Abstract

This thesis investigates the systems and information decipherable within a material surface; more specifically, those ideas of value, performance, and function we may infer from the surface of contemporary building materials. When these materials are reduced to their flattened image, the cosmetic facade of a surface has the capacity to inform as well as deceive. Additionally, we may see in materials outward properties, such as color or tactility, the capacity for metaphor and the application of a symbolic personhood. This thesis seeks to comprehend the ways in which these expectations become fodder for complication and paradox, and promote a perceptual mutability.

Language

English (en)

Program Director

Patricia Olynyk

Program Director's Department

Graduate School of Art

Committee Member

Buzz Spector

Committee Member

Buzz Spector

Committee Member

Buzz Spector

Artist's Statement

Permanent URL: https://doi.org/10.7936/K7V40SG5

Recommended Citation

Campbell, Christopher T., "The Vital Ambiguity of Surface: Culturally Determined Notions of Metaphor and Performance in Contemporary Building Material" (2016). Graduate School of Art Theses. ETD 57. https://doi.org/10.7936/K7V40SG5.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/samfox_art_etds/57