Author: Nina Kent

I chose to work with the 3D scan of the sculpture “Silenus with the Infant Bacchus.” It is believed to be a Roman copy of a bronze Greek original by Lysippos (A Greek sculptor of the 4th century) or one of his followers. It depicts Silenus holding the baby Bacchus, who he was a father figure, tutor, and companion to in Roman and Greek mythology. The sculpture denotes love and companionship, especially the connection within the power dynamic of a tutor and student. Silenus has a relaxed and comforting pose, compared to the fussy baby Bacchus who is pawing at his face. There are mainly undertones of care and fatherhood; the sculpture has positive connotations. Because of this, I want to create contrast in my distortion and make it into something more negative or freakish. Since Bacchus is the God of wine, fertility, partying, theater, etc., I could weave some of the negative aspects of these themes into the distortion: My most prominent thought is to distort the expression of Selenus to be sad and desperate as the form of Bacchus is distorted into a liquid that is melting through his arms. This would give the sculpture a negative connotation: loss and despair. The liquid aspect also ties to Bacchus being the God of Wine, which can be reminiscent of excitement, fun, and prosperity, but can also be tied to sin, sickness, and bad decisions.

This past summer, I went on a solo road trip across the country. It was about 9000 miles and I did it in my 2011 Toyota Prius, filled with my camping supplies, clothes, food, and anything else I needed. I visited 19 national parks and spent much of my time alone in the woods: exactly where I want to be. In Yellowstone National Park, I acquired a permit to “Primitive Camp” meaning I hiked 4 miles into the wilderness to set up my campsite from nothing but what I brought to live at for a couple days. Although I could explain more about that time in detail, one of the most memorable moments was my hike back to my car when my primitive time was up.  Exhausted from packing everything up at sunrise, I was about a mile from freedom when I stopped to get water from my pack. It was the only time I looked down to the ground. At that moment I heard a rustling in the woods near me; solo hiking requires one to constantly make noise (singing, talking, clapping, etc.) for reasons that I was about to truly understand. Comically raising my gaze, it was met by one owned by an immensely massive Grizzly bear. It chuffed and pawed at the ground, making marks in the pine needle blanket about 15 feet from me. I swear my heart stopped beating as my hand unconsciously moved to the $55 can of bear spray sheathed on the holster on my belt. Having groaned about the price tag earlier, the possibility of dying for my disdain for spending money hit me embarrassingly hard. The bear made a louder noise and shook its head. Fearing it was agitated, I spoke softly to it- my voice shaking as much as my legs. “Woah hey hey hey buddy! Bear! I’m okay you’re okay. Hi!!!!” I managed to get out. Our standoff lasted less than half a minute but I kept my hand on my bear spray. Luckily, I heard more rustling ahead of where the Grizzly bear’s path was. Where the Momma bear’s path was! Although I kept my attentive and primitively attentive gaze on her, I can confidently assume that she had cubs she was following. Making a final groan and head rear, she continued on her path to follow the cubs and left me frozen in place. I didn’t dare move a muscle for a few minutes until the adrenaline wore off and I realized that I had to make it back to my car before the situation repeated itself. Thankfully it didn’t, and imagined how I would tell the story to my family and friends as I packed away my supplies, ready to hit the road again. 

• Solitude
• Adventure
• Wilderness
• Survival
• Fear
• Resilience
• Freedom
• Self-reliance
• Adrenaline
• Vulnerability
• Connection
• Awe

Major: Biology & Studio art

Interests/hobbies: Hiking/camping, running, reading, writing, guitar, working on my collections… and (obviously) creating art (mostly sculpture and painting)

Intention in taking this class: I love physical sculpture but I’m quite unfamiliar with digital art in general – I simply want to learn more and broaden my sculpture portfolio!