WP3 blog post 3

Stairway Balusters contradict the very function of what a baluster was made for, supporting the handrail of a stairway system or the ledge on a balcony. After one hundred and ten years after manufacturing, the Stairway Balusters have found a home at UNL as a decorative rather than a functional piece. This contradicts the very nature of what balusters are, a mostly functional piece in an ordinary stair system. Rather this piece has been transferred outdoors and framed like the Mona Lisa would be, exemplifying its transition from a functional to a ornate decoration for college students to enjoy while studying. The balusters, created one hundred and ten years ago, were originally used to support the stairway of a Chicago art gallery, but were later sold. The university welded them into a rectangular frame, showing the balusters off as if they were a great piece of art rather than a functional piece. Even though the balusters have elaborate motifs emulating natural Celtic designs of the Viking age, the framed piece has been placed lower than the eye can admire without crouching down to notice that there are any designs at all. Placement of the framed balusters is subtle and in an area where they would hardly be noticed by a casual passerby. Rather the piece has been strategically placed in an area that students would typically go to get peace to eat lunch or finish a homework assignment.

Organic line utilized through the motifs in the balusters as well as rounded edges, whether they be from weather or simply the passage of time, suggests the inviting and calm nature of the piece. Rounded, or organic, line has been proven to be easier on the eyes of people. Bas reliefs adorning the interior of the piece have been eroded making them more subtle, especially in the shadow of the foliage which shelters it, strangely toning down the artistic nature of the piece. It appears that there has been no attempt to restore the relief on the balusters, so the intention was to leave one of the most artistic parts faded and difficult to see. Everything about the “sculpture” forces one to look at the entirety of the piece first, admiring the outline of the baluster and the general “markings” on the body.

The lack of restoration to the piece also leaves scratches on the area where the balusters were bolted in and makes the piece look incredibly weathered. Metal rusting can added to the weathered look of the sculpture, making it seem like it belongs among the elements. Altogether the subtle placement, rusted natural appearance, and worn reliefs has transformed this functional baluster into a decorative piece meant to be seen by students or people sitting. The balusters act as an accentuate to show the peaceful nature of the particular spot by the art museum, with people using it as a place to find solitude. The balusters are taken as a functional item that is daily seen by people and used as an artistic piece, creating something that is easy to look at and not confusing like so many of the other pieces.

WP3 blog post 2

Stairway Balusters is a cast iron sculpture with the semblance of a fence, but in the area in which it is placed it does not serve as anything in particular other than an ornamental piece. The post on the left represents one of the six that are apart of the sculpture. The difference is that the posts are all elevated and attached with two slender bars, one below and one above. These bars appear to be welded to the posts and the wear of the years because some of the blackish color covering the screws has been scraped away. There is grime filling the cracks and dirt covering the entirety of the sculpture, further showing the use through the decades. The structure was confusing because if it served as either a fence or gate, which initially that's what I thought balusters were, the spacing between the six posts were too wide to serve either purpose. Someone could easily slip through and hurt themselves, therefore the piece must have served a completely different purpose such as decoration. Even if the piece did not function as a repellant or protector against such incidents, the edges are extremely soft (due to centuries of weather damage or intentional) the sculpture appears to be more of a decorational piece than anything else.

The posts reminded me a great deal of the Viking and Celtic art that I studied in art history. The lines within the reliefs framed by the fence looking background are very organic and encircle themselves a few times. The Celtic people were known for using organic line and natural motifs in their art, showing the nature of their culture. Stairway Balusters contains many branchy or leafy looking motifs, used to accentuate the orbs and simply beatify the background gateway. The orbs resemble a coat of arms, giving the balusters a British or royal feeling such as the balusters were created for a member of higher class society. A majority of the aspects of the sculpture invite the audience toward it, rather than repel a person. The softer edges are easier on the eyes, both from the motif and the cast itself, and interesting motifs invite the viewer to examine the piece closer suggesting the domestic nature of this piece.

Contradicting the nature of the piece, the motif found on the background resembling an actual gate has a repeating image that is mirrored vertically from the center of the gate piece. On the other hand, the pieces jetting out from the false fence to support the balusters on the framed bars definitely are not proportional in size to one another. The asymmetry and symmetry contradict each other, providing an interesting perspective of the sculpture. I decided to pursue the contradictions in the sculpture and noticed that the sculpture was supposed to be an indoor piece but it was outside, it serves more as a two dimensional piece rather than a three dimensional piece,and it appears to be viewed more as painting.