Found Objects, Fractals, and Fibonacci Spirals

The Friday following fall break, after a few days of rainy weather, the skies finally cleared, and a fabulous autumn afternoon fell upon Arcadia. In Creative Expressions of Nature, a course taught by English professor Mark Sturges, the Arcadians spent a few hours assembling environmental sculptures out of found materials, many of which captured the color and beauty of the seasonal turn from summer into fall. This assignment invites students to adopt the style and methodology of environmental artist Andy Goldsworthy and create a visually appealing and philosophically meaningful sculpture, the design of which grows organically from the landscape of Massawepie and the outdoor experience of the semester. Many of the students constructed their sculptures as reflections on human-nature relationships and found meaningful life lessons in their efforts to interpret their own creations. While delivering artistic statements in a gallery tour at the end of class, Arcadians commented on the following range of topics: the truth of impermanence, the ephemerality of fall foliage, community formation, cultural constructs of beauty and aging, the seven yogic chakras, the physics of fractals, and the prevalence in the world of patterns like the Fibonacci spiral. You can view these Arcadian artworks in the photos below.