Disc sculpture on stand

Sculpture art is a three-dimensional art that exists in space. Form is its basic element, which can be independent or integrated in space through visual and tactile three-dimensional modeling. Under the action of light, the clear outline and light perception outline the shape in a three-dimensional and moving manner. Only the sculptural form of one material breaks this perception, and it is mirror stainless steel sculpture. Stainless steel is a widely used sculpture material in contemporary sculpture. It has strong toughness and plasticity, and because of its corrosion resistance characteristics, it is conducive to long-term preservation, and is mostly used as a creative material. In terms of craftsmanship, it can be polished to a mirror surface, polished to a sanding, and can be colored. Among them, the mirror effect is not available in other sculpture metal materials. After the stainless steel sculpture manufacturer creates a flat or distorted mirror effect, the outline of the sculpture is weakened in the space, and the effect of light on it is weakened by the reflection of the environment, and it is invisible like magic. in the space environment. Therefore, different from other matt material sculptures, it can present a variety of visual perceptions from different perspectives, different lights, and different environments. This uncertainty and contingency become the self-sculpting sublimation of the work itself, with infinite vitality.

1. Characteristics of mirror stainless steel sculpture

Stainless steel is the abbreviation of stainless acid-resistant steel. Its main feature is that it can resist atmospheric corrosion, and has good formability, compatibility and toughness. It is widely used in industry, construction, daily necessities and decoration industries. It is characterized by a brightness close to the mirror surface, a tough touch, which is in line with the aesthetics of the environment of the times, and is used by stainless steel sculpture manufacturers as a new material in sculpture creation. Stainless steel materials have different labels in China according to their different anti-oxidation properties. Generally, the models suitable for sculpture creation are around 304 and 316. Stainless steel materials are generally plates, and there are specifications and models of various thicknesses. The sculpture processing forms of the plate are mainly forging process and welding. The plate surface is forged in blocks by external force, and the corresponding shape is shaped, and then multiple plate surfaces are welded and formed, and then polished and polished to complete the mirror stainless steel sculpture. Another process is stainless steel casting. The stainless steel casting process is similar to the copper casting process. After the casting is completed, the mirror stainless steel sculpture effect can also be produced by polishing.

The surface effect of stainless steel can be made into frosted effect and mirror stainless steel sculpture effect by different degrees of polishing. If tinting is required, it cannot be heat tinted into multiple colors like copper, but modern processes can electroplate it into a variety of color effects. The famous American artist Jeff Koons electroplated mirror stainless steel into various bright colors through the electroplating process (as shown below). Secondly, you can also create a lacquer effect by spray painting. Most of the stainless steel sculpture manufacturers will use the mirror effect characteristics of stainless steel when using stainless steel materials to create, and polish the finished stainless steel shape so that it can reflect the surrounding objects and integrate the sculpture into the environment.

2. Shape and light and shadow of mirror stainless steel sculpture

From the physical classification, the shape of sculpture can be roughly divided into figurative realistic sculpture and abstract sculpture. The figurative and realistic sculpture mainly pays attention to the existence of the body in the space and the expression of the volume; the abstract sculpture is expressed as a complex or simple abstract form, and the pursuit is the visual experience and psychological reaction. Figurative sculpture presents accurate visual and tactile perception of volume through volume, space and shadow effects under specific light sources. Therefore, in general, most of this type of sculptures use matt materials such as copper and marble. If marble sculpture reminds us of texture and solemnity, then mirror stainless steel sculpture shows the beauty of strength and flexibility.

The mirror-like properties of stainless steel material reduce the volume and outline clarity of the sculpture due to its reflection of the surrounding environment. Therefore, when sculptors use mirror stainless steel materials to create, they mostly focus on abstract shapes. When the light is projected on the mirror stainless steel, it will not produce obvious dark, gray and bright light and shadow effects, so that the work produces a sense of weightless lightness. When the surrounding environment is projected on the distorted mirror sculpture, it also produces a distorted image of the object, and these distorted images in turn reinforce the abstract meaning of the sculpture. As the most influential pop artist in the United States, Jeff Koons chooses the expression method of mirror stainless steel sculpture in his works, which greatly reveals his attitude towards “acceptance” and “fusion” from content to style.

Anish Kapoor, a famous British contemporary artist, is the sculptor who has played the best role in the creation of mirror stainless steel. He used mirror stainless steel to create a large number of famous sculpture works. His works are mostly simple shapes, even as simple as concave or convex mirrored circles. Through exquisite technical processing or huge volumes, they show unprecedented visual sensory stimulation in different environments. The giant stainless steel sculpture “Cloud Gate” (pictured below) standing in Chicago’s Millennium Plaza is his famous masterpiece. A mirrored stainless steel sculpture in the shape of a bean stands on the square, and the oval shell can reflect the outline of the entire Chicago city. When their figures are distorted and mirrored on it, their writhing figures like a fun mirror add to the sense of lighthearted humor. At the bottom is a concave space “omphalos” that reflects overlapping images. The top of this space is 9 meters high from the ground. The audience who walks into the concave space under the sculpture will feel the dizziness that the eyes cannot focus. This is also a common technique in Anish Kapoor’s works. In addition to abstract stainless steel sculptures, there are many artists who show the beauty of stainless steel materials in figurative forms.

The stainless steel rockery series of works by the famous Chinese sculptor Zhan Zhan are typical representatives with oriental meaning (as shown below). Since 1995, the author has used stainless steel to forge the shape of the rockery on the rockery, then polished it, and placed it in a modern urban public space. The combination of modern materials and traditional Chinese culture is a strong combination of contradictions, exploring the relationship between natural civilization and industrial civilization. The uneven stainless steel rockery reflects the environment in a point-like distortion, further deepening the contradictory relationship between virtual and reality. As the author said: “Stainless steel represents something that is industrialized. As long as it is human, whether it is Europeans or Americans, they are people in the industrialized era, and they are all facing the survival competition of the industrialized society. Africa and Asia are also entering. Industrialization, so I think it is a regional and cultural issue from a local perspective, and the two most basic issues facing human beings as a whole: natural and industrial.”

3. The invisible shape of mirror stainless steel sculpture

When a sculptor creates a sculptural work, it has its own designation from form to concept, everything is subject to the expression of the theme, and all elements in the work are within the sculptor’s controllable range. Joseph Beuys, an important artist of the 20th century, took a new life when he put forward the idea that everyone is an artist. In the contemporary context, the tradition of taking modeling as the aesthetic standard is broken, objects or behaviors endowed with concepts have the right to speak, and the artistic meaning of works is extended. That is to say, when a work of art is created by an artist, the work itself can also generate uncontrolled display effects and narratives. The sculptor Zhan Wang put the stainless steel rockery into the open sea and space and let it float freely. In this process, the work is no longer under the control of the artist, and the extended meaning of the work belongs to the self-sculpting of the work itself. From the perspective of visual experience, mirror stainless steel sculpture also has such self-healing and self-sublimation functions. First of all, the distorted mirror shape can change different images on the sculpture at any time with the change of the environment and light. At the same time, the different perspectives of the audience will also produce different visual effects. Sculptor Zhang Haipeng’s stainless steel sculpture “Fishing Alone” (as shown in the figure below) uses the self-sculpting function of mirror stainless steel, forging flat stainless steel into undulating shapes. Under specific light, it is like a calm water surface in the dead of night. A gust of wind blown under the moonlight caused a wave of light ripples, and the change of light can also make the stainless steel water ripples feel moving.

4. Conclusion

When the Go robot (AlphaGo) defeated the most powerful Go player in the world, it has become a hot topic whether intelligent robots created by humans will eventually surpass and replace humans. Today, the relationship between the creator and the created is no longer a master-servant relationship. Similarly, as a sculpture of visual art, the development of technology and materials provides infinite possibilities for the demands of contemporary art. Under the influence of concepts, the aesthetic judgment of visual art is constantly breaking the traditional shackles to find a breakthrough, and those materials and technologies that can well meet the needs of the times are also widely used in artistic creation. The combination of people, new materials and new technologies makes the works jump out of the inherent definition, enhance their own value, and also promote the pace of sculpture art.