According
to the article “First Person Artist: The Wonderful World of Kirsten
Hassenfeld” by
Kimberly Brooks, Kirsten hassenfeld tends to play on the gender
roles on society by way of intricate curved shapes. The old fabergé
eggs, and primitive sea life such as jellyfishes inspire her; this tends
to
relate to the ghostly quality, weightless nature,
and decorative patterns in
her sculptures.
They seem to float about like a snowflake in the winter sky
with an organic breath of life that keeps them afloat.
I can relate to Hassenfeld
with her concept of escape in an urban environment. I lived in Brooklyn for 23
years, and witnessed the same struggle Hassenfeld observed; she lived in a loft
in downtown Brooklyn in 1999, and lived around the struggles of society in
Brooklyn. Pawnshops surrounded her and lots of noise from the nearby traffic, which
emanated a depressive quality. Hassenfeld wanted to challenge that intruding
aspect in her own space with these free- flowing sculptures that are made out
of paper, polystyrene board, acrylic, pipe cleaners, and light fixtures. In a
sense, Hassenfeld transformed the troubles out side with these whimsical,
playful sculptures. In reading the article, I got to understand some of the
conceptual ideas Kirsten Hassenfeld portrayed in her work; the concept of
creating an environment as a means for escape through a three dimensional
daydream.
Your post gave me a lot to think about in terms of Hassenfeld's work. Most striking to me was the way you talked about the urban environment intruding into one's "mental space" so to speak, and the ways she creates a weightlessness in this work. The work itself feels weightless, but it also seems ot promote a kind of weightlessness in me as I look at it...interesting.
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