OHS Halls Invaded by Tape Students

By Adam Gaither, OHS Torch Reporter

            OHS students have probably noticed some odd additions to the population around the building recently.  OHS Art teacher Ms. Pitcher has been planning on a project to allow her students to put 3 dimensional artwork around the school’s commons. Her plan revolved around packing tape sculptures, an idea she emulated from an American artist named Mark Jenkins.

            Mark Jenkins is most known for his sculptures and their unique placement. His sculptures are set up in the streets and he photographs the reactions of the first few witnesses of his art before he leaves.

            Sculpture and Ceramics students have been creating these sculptures since they returned from spring break. Ms. Pitcher said, “Students have gone beyond expectations.  The project is turning out better than expected.”

            Ms. Pitcher had one group of students place a sculpture in front of the main office. When the students went to check on it, the staff had already brought it inside the office. Afterwards the staff began to dress up the sculpture and pose it in the office.

            After this, the students moved on to placing their sculptures around the school as they finished creating them. Some sculptures are in view when you first enter the building, where as other may be a bit harder to spot.

            Most sculptures have been finished now and can be found in the halls if you look hard enough. Several of these sculptures are wearing clothing and are posed to make them more realistic. Others have had changes to them to make them a bit more surreal.

            These sculptures have all been created using the same method Mark Jenkins uses. Making the sculptures was as simple as coating the model’s body in packing tape and then cutting it off. Afterwards, the student would add more layers of tape to the sculpture to make them more durable. The task takes may be simple, but it does take time to finish.