MFA student invites others to help work on thesis art project
Tucked away in the Reflections Gallery in the this week was Lianne Wappett, a University of Idaho senior concentrating on completing an art project.
Corey Bowes | Argonaut
Two UI students sit in the Idaho Reflections Gallery Thursday to help Lianne Wappett (right) with her art project.
The work, a large scale art installation piece, consists of two panels of perforated steel with balloons threaded through it.
“(Each panel has) over 25,000 holes in them and each of those holes are being filled with deflated yellow balloons,” Wappett said.
Wappett is a Masters in Fine Arts student in her final semester at UI. Wappett said the piece she’s currently working on would be featured in her MFA thesis show.
Wappett said she has been working on the project in the Commons to invite other students to help thread balloons for the piece. A “Hello” sign sits in front of the Reflections Gallery, inviting students to come and help with the piece, along with markers for students to write their names on the sign after they help.
Wappett said students use the back of a paintbrush to push balloons through the holes, and then thread them through.
“I’m asking students to help participate in threading all of these balloons with me, not only to get help, but also to provide interaction with me for the piece,” Wappett said. “So far, I’ve probably had over a hundred people come in and stop and thread and work on the piece.”
The piece has unique qualities different from most other pieces, Wappett said. Unlike paintings, which she said are made to be seen, or musical pieces, which are made to be heard, Wappett’s piece is made to be felt.
“This piece is a little different from other art pieces, in that I’m encouraging people to touch it,” Wappett said. “Balloons themselves allow people to feel ease with the material. It’s not like an oil painting or something ceramic that might look fragile.”
Wappett said while the art piece will definitely be something people will stare at, the fact that students can touch it will expose UI to a kind of art most are not familiar with.
“When it’s on the wall and I have the word ‘hello’ by it, I’m hoping and inviting people to come and touch it and experience art in a different way,” she said.
The piece has much more work to be done on it until it is finished, she said.
Wappett will work on her piece again Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Reflections Gallery. After that, Wappett said she will solicit help from various fraternities and sororities to help house one of the panels so members can help thread the remaining portion of the project.
Once the piece is finished, it will be put on display in the Reflections Gallery, a place designed to showcase student work.
Corey Bowes can be reached at [email protected]