Fantastic Sculptures by Florence Temko

Transcription

1 North arolina Testing Program Read this selection to learn how to make sculptures inspired by the art of Haiti. Then answer the questions that follow. Fantastic Sculptures by Florence Temko Many empty oil drums are available for recycling in the aribbean island country of Haiti. Some of them are converted into musical drums by players in native steel bands, but Georges Liautaud had other ideas. He transformed the drums into fantastic sculptures of animals, mermaids, and saints. His method is to cut off the top and bottom of a steel drum and cut open the side, leaving a flat sheet 6' by 3' (2 m by 1 m). He scratched on his drawing and cut it out with heavy shears. utout slits and circles added an airy look. fter he had made a few sculptures, he found it easier to draw a paper pattern first, which allowed him to make changes without ruining a whole steel sheet. He continually improved his technique, chiseling and hammering in eyes, ears, and other features and smoothing over any rough parts with files and sandpaper. When he was completely pleased with the look of the sculpture he etched in his name. Liautaud was interested in mechanics even as a child and always enjoyed working with tools. He became a blacksmith and eventually, as a sideline, he hammered simple iron crosses to be placed on graves. dding curlicues led to the sculptures, many of which are now prized in art museums. He innovated an entirely new art form and inspired other Haitians to make steel drum sculptures. You can make similar metal sculptures from thin aluminum, which is sold by the sheet in art stores. You can substitute aluminum pie plates, broiler pans, and similar disposable containers, cutting off the rims first. The only drawback is that your sculpture will be quite small. The material that looks and handles most like steel drums is aluminum f lashing, which is sold in hardware stores for fixing roofs. It can be cut with tin snips or an old pair of strong scissors (good scissors will be ruined), and designs can be hammered in. HOW TO MKE FISH You need luminum-foil sheeting (from an art store), or luminum f lashing (from a hardware store) Pencil n old pair of scissors or tin snips Hammer, nail, screw driver Fine sandpaper Thick pile of newspapers to work on Note: Flashing comes rolled and has to be f lattened. ut a piece as large as you need for the fish. Then place it between two piles of newspapers or two magazines. Slide the hammer across, pressing down heavily. Without the protection of the newspaper, the f lashing will have hammer marks. Page 1 Published pril May reproduce for instructional and

2 North arolina Testing Program 1. raw the outline of the fish on the aluminum. Redraw it until you are satisfied. 4. Hammer them in with the nail and the screw driver. 2. ut it out. lways cut INTO corners, as shown by the direction of the arrows. 5. Smooth any rough edges by sliding the hammer head across them. Sandpaper if necessary. 3. raw on circles and short lines. Fantastic Sculptures copyright by Florence Temko, author of Traditional rafts series, published by Lerner Publications. WHT ELSE YOU N O Make birds, bats, comic-book characters, acrobats, iguanas, robots, flowers, trees, a windmill, Tolkien people, whatever you can think of and make them as weird as possible. The basic directions for the fish produce a raised design with perhaps a few holes going all the way through the aluminum. You can enlarge nail holes by inserting the scissor tips and twirling them around GENTLY. Try making patterns by hammering washers, screw heads, ball-point pens, the ends of dowel sticks, and other objects. Make small and large holes. Punch the flashing from both sides for raised and indented patterns. Snip and curl the edges. rimp the edges with a pair of long-nosed pliers, bending first to the right and then to the left. First try it out on a piece of scrap. Nail the sculpture on a painted wooden board in such a way that the nails are part of the design. Hang several cutouts from a wire clothes hanger as a mobile. Make a belt buckle or ornaments. Page 2 Published pril May reproduce for instructional and

3 North arolina Testing Program 1. Which sentence is the best summary of the suggestions given in What Else You an o? It is important to follow the basic directions very carefully. Making metal sculptures can be a very creative process. It requires a lot of practice to make metal sculptures well. 3. Where does Liautaud most likely get the ideas for his sculptures? from observing the world around him from looking at the decorations on graves from using his imagination from visiting art museums The way that the metal sculptures are hung is very important. 4. Why did Liautaud decide to make paper patterns for his work? 2. What is the most likely reason Georges Liautaud started using oil drums as the material for his sculptures? He already used them to make musical drums. They were inexpensive and easy to find. He could make more than one copy of the same sculpture. He was able to add details that were difficult to cut. He could easily change the size of the sculpture. He was able to make changes without wasting material. He saw other artists using the drums. They provided enough metal to make several sculptures. 5. What advice would Georges Liautaud most likely add to the directions? Include curlicues on the side of the fish. Use more than one tool to make holes on the fish. File down any rough edges on the sculpture. Work out the whole design on a piece of paper first. Page 3 Published pril May reproduce for instructional and

4 North arolina Testing Program 6. Which of the following is most similar to the relationship below? sculpture : paper patterns painting : paint building : roof garden : plants paper : outline End of Set In compliance with federal law, including the provisions of Title IX of the Education mendments of 1972, the epartment of Public Instruction does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, or military service in its policies, programs, activities, admissions or employment. Page 4 Published pril May reproduce for instructional and

5 Grade 7 nswers to Reading omprehension Sample Items Question orrect Objective Selection Title Number nswer ategory Thinking Skill Number Fantastic Sculptures 1 ognition Integrating 2.01 Fantastic Sculptures 2 Interpretation nalyzing 2.01 Fantastic Sculptures 3 Interpretation nalyzing 2.01 Fantastic Sculptures 4 ognition Knowledge 2.01 Fantastic Sculptures 5 ritical Stance Generating 2.01 Fantastic Sculptures 6 onnections nalyzing 2.01 Thursday, March 31, 2005 Page 1 of 1