by Aryn Hoyle
Jennifer Plourde, fourth-year sculpture student, has been taking things apart and putting them back together for as long as she can remember. She says that construction has always been compulsion. “[I’m inspired by] life, reading, becoming informed, wanting to inform others, art and all of it’s ridiculous manifestations”.
Plourde’s was drawn to SCAD while researching sculptural facilities. SCAD Atlanta’s sculpture facilities were her first major attraction to the school. She learned more about the additional spaces and programs offered at SCAD Atlanta over time, and through more extensive research. Not only is Plourde interested in sculpture, but she is also attracted to the world of animation, particularly stop-motion. She said that with the sense of family and encouragement she has received from the sculpture department, and the enthusiasm from the animation department, her personal expectations have been met.
Plourde mostly does figurative work. She is interested in toy manufacture, puppet fabrication, and the stylization of the figure. She also works in film, painting, digital sculpture, foundry sculpture, printing, assemblage, and woodwork. “Thanks to SCAD, I’m pretty well-rounded,” she said. Plourde has pieces in restaurants, coffee shops, and outside galleries. For SCAD Atlanta students and visitors of the university, she has a piece on the fifth floor of the C building on display. It is titled “Fallout Friends (Platinum Edition)”. It is a piece that includes the figurative and toy aesthetic that she is interested in. It has a gas mask like feature, as well as an elephant head figure attached. More of her work can be seen on her website.
When asked to describe her overall style, Plourde explained that she likes to use pop influences and how they relate to consumerism. She has an interest in combining high and lowbrow approaches; she looks at how highbrow context fits with a lowbrow aesthetic. Street art is becoming more prominent in the artistic realm, which she is incorporating into her figurative and comedic approach. She labeled her style as “dark but funny”.
Plourde has been doing a lot of consumption research in regards to food and nutrition. She is concerned about what influences consumption, how and what we consume, and the ramifications of our consumption as a society. She is currently working on a project called “My First Factory Farm”, which addresses big agribusiness. She is looking into the ramifications of our dependence on large business structures, and placing her comedic style into the subject matter. “Humour is a major component of my work,” Plourde said, “I like to approach more serious discussions in easy to digest manners.”
Plourde explained that overcoming the fear of time and execution, at times, makes an impact on her process of creation. She does not let fear take control while she is creating. “[When fear emerges], I have to rationalize that being afraid is not productive”. She works around it by using it at a challenge instead of a hindrance.
Life outside of SCAD for Plourde is busy. She works in the body modification industry, volunteers at One Love Generation teaching body casting to children, has helped the chair of the sculpture department with workshops, and helps at the Center of Puppetry Arts. She enjoys reading, and tries to engage in the local art scene as much as possible.